GOOD statement by Brett Herron,
GOOD: Secretary-General & Member of Western Cape Provincial Parliament
06 November 2021
WESTERN CAPE MEDIUM TERM BUDGET POLICY STATEMENT:
WEAK RESPONSE TO A PROVINCE IN CRISIS AS DA GOVERNMENT SURRENDERS
When your economy is tanking and unemployment is rampant your province is in crisis.
When your residents are destitute and hungry your province is in crisis.
When communities are caught in daily cross fire of gang wars your province is in crisis.
We have a province in crisis.
We need a government that is able to meet the crisis with tangible responses and the budget allocations to back them.
Today we got a cheerleader.
Our Minister of Finance telling us his government is “knocked down” but not “knocked out” is cold comfort to the homeless, the jobless, the hungry and the traumatised because the Minister announced nothing that will change their circumstances.
For the jobless the Transport and Public Works department has abandoned about R360 million for large roads and other building projects while the Education department has abandoned R290 million originally allocated for Infrastructure Development. This is a R650 million loss of contracts and jobs for the labour intensive construction sector in one financial year.
For the hungry and the homeless, funds abandoned or surrendered have not been reallocated to the Social Development Department to implement or support much needed social support, nutrition and feeding programmes. The Social Development department receives an additional R60 million of which R40 million is for staff salary increments.
For those traumatised by relentless gangsterism and cross-fire and who were promised a Western Cape Safety Plan that would halve the murder rate in our worst crime areas – the Department of Community Safety surrenders R185 million that was earmarked for the much vaunted, but yet to be effective, Law Enforcement Advancement Plan (LEAP) which is meant to be implemented by the City of Cape Town.
At a time when our government should be pumping public funds into our economy and investing in our economy and the well-being of our residents who are in crisis our government is knocked down and out.
Media enquiries:
Brett Herron, GOOD: Secretary-General & Western Cape Provincial Parliament
Cell: 082 5183264
Email: bretth@forgood.org.za
Samkelo Mgobozi, GOOD: Media Manager
Cell: 0792315977 (whatsapp)/0829684021 (calls)
Email: samm@forgood.org.za