Gauteng's R886 million budget announcement: Democratic Alliance's critical response
The DA has reacted to the additional R886 secured by Gauteng's MEC for Finance and Economic Development, Lebogang Maile, who has announced his reconfigured budget speech on Tuesday.
Image: Itumeleng English / Independent Newspapers
The DA in Gauteng has reacted strongly against the additional R886 million tabled by Gauteng MEC for Finance and Economic Development, Lebogang Maile, on Tuesday.
Despite Gauteng's financial difficulties, Maile said he would turn things around as the province works to meet all of its goals for service delivery and economic development.
On Tuesday, Maile delivered the revised provincial budget following Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana's delivery of his third iteration of the country's Budget vote over a week ago.
Godongwana's proposed Budget is also being challenged in court due to the fuel levy increase, which replaced the controversial Value Added Tax increase.
Following the previously tabled budget on March 18, which was made up of R171.5 billion on March 18, the revised budget, which was re-tabled at a briefing held at the Gauteng Provincial Legislature for the 2025/26 financial year, amounts to approximately R172.3 billion, representing an increase of R886.6 million.
Video Player is loading.
Play Video
Play
Unmute
Current Time
0:00
/
Duration
-:-
Loaded :
0%
Stream Type LIVE
Seek to live, currently behind live
LIVE
Remaining Time
-
0:00
This is a modal window.
Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window.
Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan
Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan
Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan
Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque
Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps
Reset
restore all settings to the default values Done
Close Modal Dialog
End of dialog window.
Advertisement
Next
Stay
Close ✕
Maile indicated that additional resources were made possible through the provincial allocation of unspent funds and revenue over collection from the previous financial year.
To offset the challenges, Maile's budget looked at the pledges recently made by the private sector during the recent Gauteng Investment Conference, which reportedly raised more than R312 billion.
"The State of the Province Address expressed a clear appreciation of the binding fiscal constraints in Gauteng and the country at large. This necessitates trade-offs and efficiency-driven spending to sustain the momentum critical to realising our aspiration to alleviate the 13 challenges confronting the province...
"We also wish to once again extend sincere gratitude to private sector companies, both local and global, who, by making investment pledges at the recent Gauteng Investment Conference, affirmed their belief that Gauteng is a province worthy of its status as the nerve-centre of the regional and continental economy," Maile stated.
His address comes just two weeks after Gauteng Premier, Panyaza Lesufi, during his State of the Province Address, detailed how the provincial government is planning to address 13 major challenges affecting the province for the year ahead.
Echoing Lesufi's sentiments, Maile said: "As the provincial government, we will spare no efforts to reach the objectives we have promised to the people of Gauteng, which is a break with inefficient process, a break with corruption and maladministration, a break with fruitless and wasteful expenditure, a break with delayed payments to service providers, and a break with lack of accountability.
"We commit to progress, improvement in service delivery, and a definitive change in how we build a provincial economy that grows in the hands of the people of Gauteng."
However, DA shadow MEC for Economic Development in the province, Ruhan Robinson, indicated that the additional R886 million is still not enough to meet the needs of the residents.
"The R886.6 million added to the Gauteng budget during the re-tabling of the national Budget will not make a significant difference in the quality of life and service delivery for the people living in this province.
"It is concerning that no additional funding was allocated to the Gauteng Department of Health. This department is plagued with numerous challenges, ranging from surgeries being cancelled due to budget constraints, which puts patients' lives in danger. Patients continue to suffer at Gauteng hospitals due to the department's failure to replace broken equipment such as heating systems and laundry machines.
"Suppliers rendering services and products to Gauteng hospitals are suffering due to non-payment of invoices within 30 days. Despite all these challenges, Premier Panyaza Lesufi has committed to paying e-toll debt," Robinson stated.
Robinson added that the decision to pay off the e-toll debt has made it difficult for the province to play around with its financial obligations, adding that the Nas' Ispani programme was another ill-conceived project that would worsen the situation.
siyabonga.sithole@inl.co.za
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Citizen
13 hours ago
- The Citizen
Limpopo DA lays charges over GNT pension crisis
LIMPOPO – On Monday, May 26, the Democratic Alliance (DA) in Limpopo laid criminal charges against the CEO of Great North Transport (GNT) and the Limpopo Economic Development Agency (LEDA), the sole shareholder of GNT. The charges, filed at the Polokwane Police Station, relate to the non-payment of employee pension fund and medical aid contributions. Jacques Smalle, DA Limpopo provincial spokesperson for economic development, environment, and tourism, said LEDA, as the sole shareholder, holds both statutory and fiduciary responsibilities for GNT's financial management. 'The scale of the crisis became clear during an urgent sitting of the Limpopo Portfolio Committee on Economic Development, Environment and Tourism on Friday, May 23,' Smalle explained. 'This meeting, which followed the DA's repeated calls for GNT and LEDA to account, revealed unpaid contributions to three pension schemes totalling R6.78 million and affecting 945 employees. In some cases, employee memberships have already been suspended. If at least R1 million is not paid by the end of May, all memberships could be suspended, potentially resulting in permanent loss of pension benefits.' Smalle attributed the crisis to 'years of corruption, mismanagement, and lack of accountability' at GNT. He added that the company's failure to implement a viable turnaround strategy further deepened its financial troubles. 'The situation at GNT is dire; it has become an unsustainable entity,' Smalle said. 'The charges laid include theft, fraud, and violations of both the Pension Funds Act and the Medical Schemes Act, all of which are criminal offences.' In response to the allegations, Mthunzi Dlamini from LEDA acknowledged the outstanding contributions and said efforts were underway to settle the payments within the week. 'GNT has faced ongoing financial constraints in meeting its obligations,' Dlamini said. 'However, strategic steps have recently been taken, including the procurement of new buses to replace the ageing fleet and the launch of a bus lease programme aimed at increasing operational capacity.' LEDA CEO Thakhani Makhuvha said the LEDA is committed to resolving the issue. 'As the shareholder, LEDA has decided to step in and ensure that all outstanding pension and medical contributions are brought up to date,' Makhuvha said. 'We recognise the severity of the situation and apologise to affected employees. This is deeply regrettable.' At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
Eyewitness News
13 hours ago
- Eyewitness News
Political parties split over calls to fire NPA boss Batohi
CAPE TOWN - Political parties in Parliament are split on whether the National Director of Public Prosecutions, Shamila Batohi, should be fired. While ActionSA said Batohi should leave the position due to high-profile failures by the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), the Democratic Alliance (DA) said it doesn't support her removal. But the DA said the NPA is in desperate need of a massive overhaul and has introduced a 'reform package' for the NPA that includes passing the DA's 'Scorpions 2.0' bill to create an independent anti-corruption commission. ActionSA parliamentary leader, Athol Trollip, called for the immediate removal of Batohi and demanded a full parliamentary inquiry into the NPA's ongoing prosecutorial failures. READ: NPA shouldn't be let off the hook for faltering on several cases: GL community safety committee In a statement, Trollip said the NPA had once again 'exposed its deep dysfunction, either through incompetence or wilful neglect', with the latest disgrace being the collapse of the asbestos corruption case involving Former Free State Premier Ace Magashule and his former personal assistant, Moroadi Cholota. But DA Justice spokesperson, Glynnis Breytenbach, said earlier that her party would not support a motion to remove Batohi because the problems go deeper than just leadership. 'We certainly wouldn't table such a motion, and we certainly wouldn't support it. The national director is not the problem at the NPA. It's not a one-man job or a one-woman job, and while I think she possibly could have things differently, she's not doing a bad job.' She said the failures of the NPA are not attributable to her alone, saying she has less than a year left in office, which is more of a concern for the DA. ALSO READ: NPA's hopes of trying rape-accused Omotoso suffer blow after his voluntary departure
Eyewitness News
15 hours ago
- Eyewitness News
Farm murders and rural safety take prominence on parliamentary agenda
CAPE TOWN - Farm murders and rural safety were back on the parliamentary agenda on Friday, where parties debated the need for a better response to rural crime to ensure food security. The debate comes not too long after President Cyril Ramaphosa and a South African delegation visited the US to convince the country that there's no targeting of white farmers, saying the farmers are just victims of high crime. The Democratic Alliance (DA) has also used the debate to reiterate its opposition to land expropriation without compensation, saying it threatens investor confidence. DA member of Parliament (MP) and spokesperson Willie Aucamp opened the debate, saying the issue of rural safety cuts to the heart of the country's stability and food security. "For too long, the brutality of farm attacks as well as the effect that it has on food security have been ignored. But, finally, this house has been forced to confront the truth." But the uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party's Andile Mngxitama says the commercial agriculture sector is still oppressive towards black people, who he says suffer the most on farms. "The commercial agricultural sector remains the bastion of naked racism and systemic violence against black people. The oppressive relations inherited from the past continue in democratic South Africa."
