DA notes the North West Budget of hang-in-there and just survive
8 March 2022
Note to Editors: Please find the attached soundbite in English by Freddy Sonakile.
During the North West Provincial Budget Speech, the ANC once again showed its inability to address the real challenges of the residents of the province. The DA, while not surprising, is disappointed that just two weeks after an empty SOPA speech, this budget fails dismally in addressing the real needs of the residents but instead leaves the province dangling in the air.
The Early Childhood Development programme transferred from the Department of Social Development to the Department of Education is a concern and a risk. The Department of Education has, on two consecutive years, lost its conditional grants. This vital programme is performing well under Social Development, therefore moving it to the Department of Education which is failing to utilise its current allocation is taking a risk with our children's future.
The most significant caution in this seeming survival budget is the Departments that will be receiving these allocations and how they will utilise them. The DA will probe each departmental plan in line with these budget allocations, thereby keeping a close eye on the utilisation of funds.
We are concerned about the funds allocated to economic development to support Small, Medium and Micro Enterprises (SMMEs) and the establishment of Special Economic Zones. Despite dishing out Covid grants in the most non-transparent manner, nothing much can be said about the Department of Economic Development, Environment, Conservation and Tourism (DEDECTs) work since its establishment in 2019. Despite its intended crucial mandate of being the lifeline that ensures the province rises from the Covid effects, the department is dead.
We welcome the allocation to the Office of the Premier on funding the review of public entities. This is long overdue, but it once more speaks of a government sleeping on the job since 2019. This should have been a priority when the 6th administration came into power. We, therefore, reiterate our call that most of these public entities must be migrated into existing units within the departments and others merged, preventing them from being useless and vehicles for looting syndicates.
The DA welcomes the R1.2 billion allocated for job creation initiatives related to maintenance and construction but would like to caution the government that schools in Schweizer Reneke, Taung, Bethel and Ganyesa with serious infrastructure challenges should be prioritised. These schools, in some instances, are left with incomplete projects with only slabs built years ago that was left deserted.
The budget allocated to the Department of Health exposes many gaps. There is no mention of any additions to the Ambulance fleet, no new hospitals, and no new clinics. Instead, it only speaks to maintenance in a province with failing infrastructure and degraded buildings. The budget also fails to address the current outdated medical record-keeping system, which fails to serve its purpose. We welcome the additional allocation to deal with the accruals, although it does not fix the problem.
The DA expected the MEC to provide a strengthened monitoring and evaluation system under the Provincial Treasury and the Office of the Premier towards monitoring the utilisation of the allocated funds.
Forfeiting much needed conditional grants, as has been the norm, must be a thing of the past. We will hold the MEC accountable to her word when she said: "We will commit to using the limited financial resources to achieve value for money and create a conducive environment for job creation".
Issued by Freddy Sonakile, DA MPL North West Provincial Legislature, 8 March 2022
