Minister Creecy tables budget before parliament
Some were more controversial than others after the DA said it would boycott the budgets of at least two departments presided over by compromised minister.
It's the final leg of the national budget process because the Appropriation Bill can only be passed if all departmental votes have been agreed to.
One of the less controversial budget vote was for transport – although opposition parties criticised none the less.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
IOL News
an hour ago
- IOL News
I availed myself for accountability, Simelane tells DA in heated debate
Human Settlements Minister Thembi Simelane reminded the DA of its public representative, who was allegedly accused of murdering her sister, whom the party never suspended nor issued a press statement. Image: Hunk Kruger / Independent Newspapers HUMAN Settlements Minister Thembi Simelane has described the DA's personal attack on her as being tried in public without being charged. Simelane said she was not amazed by what was happening to her because a person stands in front of a judge when charged with an offence. 'You are trying me in public because you think this is the only way to degrade the work I am doing,' she said. Simelane responded to the DA's attacks during the budget vote for her department on Wednesday. The DA, which had its former deputy minister, Andrew Whitfield, dismissed for taking a trip to the US without authorisation from President Cyril Ramaphosa, has vowed not to vote in support of the budgets of departments left by compromised ministers and deputy ministers. On Tuesday, the DA claimed that Simelane was under investigation after it laid charges with the SAPS for the alleged theft of more than R700,000 by fraudulently billing Eskom when she worked for a company named Vitrovian. Speaking during the debate, DA MP Luyolo Mphithi said the Human Settlements Department was saddled with a catastrophic collapse of governance across its several housing entities. Mphithi recalled that Simelane was previously accused of receiving a R575,600 'loan' from Gundo Wealth Solutions, linked to the unlawful investments of municipal funds into the VBS Mutual Bank, while she was the mayor of the Polokwane Municipality. 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 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. Next Stay Close ✕ 'It seems that the president does not at all take issue with the fact that a person accused of corruption sits in his Cabinet and will have to look after the budget with R30 billion set aside for South Africans,' he said. Mphithi also said that although the department's budget and department have many challenges, it would under normal circumstances be supported. 'However, we are faced with a minister who has corruption allegations against her and has not been accountable to the South African public, which makes it difficult for us to support this budget,' he said. Mphithi's colleague, Conrad Poole said that when Simelane was accused, she should be in the dock before a judge and not be an MP entrusted with R33 billion of taxpayer funds. 'I certainly would not bet any money on this minister doing anything to clean up shop. If the allegations of corruption are true, she would rather buy coffee shops. She may, in fact, be planning to convert the Department of Human Settlements for her grand relaunch of her 'coffee' enterprise. In response, Simelane reminded the DA of its public representative, whom she identified as Msebenzi Radebe, who was allegedly accused of the murder of her sister, whom the party never charged. 'In 2016, when I managed to place charges against him, it was only then that the DA suspended him. Even on my calls to get the DA to get a statement of murder against my sister, they did not. In 2019, three years later, she died. 'So good, you can find the nearest door to the police station. Where it matters, you don't even know where the door is,' she said. Simelane insisted that the investigation was about accountability. 'I availed myself of accountability. Now the investigation is done, and you reported the case, but you now can't wait for the investigation to conclude. I fear I am going to disappear after this. I mean really,' she said. ANC MP Albert Seabi pleaded with Simelane not to be distracted by the amount of noise, no matter how loud it may be, including an allegation not tested in court. 'You have our support minister because of your strong work ethic, your dedication, your diligence, and your consistent commitment to transparency, accountability, and transforming the sector,' said Seabi. EFF MP Babalwa Mathulelwa said they rejected the budget not because 'we are extortionists like the DA'. Mathulelwa said the rejection of the budget was based on the empty promise wrapped in inflation and false hopes. ActionSA's Malebo Patricia Kobe said: 'The budget fails to honour the dignity of millions still waiting for a place to call home.' Rise Mzansi's Makashule Gana said: 'I will debate the budget and resist the temptation to debate or play the woman'. Cape Times
SowetanLIVE
4 hours ago
- SowetanLIVE
DA rejects Simelane, Nkabane departmental budgets
The DA has followed through on its threat to vote against departmental budget votes of ministers who are facing allegations of wrongdoing. This after the party this week voted against budgets of the departments of human settlements and higher education led by Thembi Simelane-Nkadimeng and Nobuhle Nkabane respectively. This decision was taken as a direct response to President Cyril Ramaphosa axing trade and industry deputy minister Andrew Whitfield, of the DA, last week for defying his order that none of the members of his executive were allowed to go to the US at the height of the diplomatic tensions between the two countries. The DA in response argued that Ramaphosa had been harsh on Whitfield and that it was not acceptable that he fired him for such a minor transgression while he still kept Simelane and Nkabane in his cabinet. Unlike Whitfield, the DA argued, Simelane was accused of corruption and Nkabane stood accused of lying to parliament. Instead of dealing with the two ministers who were facing serious allegations, Ramaphosa decided to axe Whitfield for going on a trip without getting permission, the DA argued. DA MP Luyolo Mphithi on Wednesday said his party was voting against Simelane's budget vote because of the corruption allegations she was facing. Mphithi said the DA was concerned that instead of firing Simelane, Ramaphosa had moved her from the department of justice to human settlements. 'You'd think that the response to this that the president would have shown minister Simelane the door, he did not. He asked for the report that he stayed with for three months,' said Mphithi. 'And even though the DA sustained pressure asking the president to act, he lacked courage to act and instead decided to dump minister Simelane at human settlements, one of the most important departments for South Africans.'
The Herald
4 hours ago
- The Herald
DA rejects Simelane, Nkabane departmental budgets
The DA has followed through on its threat to vote against departmental budget votes of ministers who are facing allegations of wrongdoing. This after the party this week voted against budgets of the departments of human settlements and higher education led by Thembi Simelane-Nkadimeng and Nobuhle Nkabane respectively. This decision was taken as a direct response to President Cyril Ramaphosa axing trade and industry deputy minister Andrew Whitfield, of the DA, last week for defying his order that none of the members of his executive were allowed to go to the US at the height of the diplomatic tensions between the two countries. The DA in response argued that Ramaphosa had been harsh on Whitfield and that it was not acceptable that he fired him for such a minor transgression while he still kept Simelane and Nkabane in his cabinet. Unlike Whitfield, the DA argued, Simelane was accused of corruption and Nkabane stood accused of lying to parliament. Instead of dealing with the two ministers who were facing serious allegations, Ramaphosa decided to axe Whitfield for going on a trip without getting permission, the DA argued. DA MP Luyolo Mphithi on Wednesday said his party was voting against Simelane's budget vote because of the corruption allegations she was facing. Mphithi said the DA was concerned that instead of firing Simelane, Ramaphosa had moved her from the department of justice to human settlements. 'You'd think that the response to this that the president would have shown minister Simelane the door, he did not. He asked for the report that he stayed with for three months,' said Mphithi. 'And even though the DA sustained pressure asking the president to act, he lacked courage to act and instead decided to dump minister Simelane at human settlements, one of the most important departments for South Africans.' 'It seems that this president does not take an issue with the fact that a person accused of corruption sits in his cabinet and will have to look after a budget of R30bn that is set aside for South Africans,' he said. Ideally, Mphithi said, the DA would not have a problem with voting for the department of human settlements' budget as it relates to people's housing and security but they could not do it because of the allegations faced by Simelane. 'The DA will always support the granting of funds to house the vulnerable at the same time fast-tracking jobs and growth to give many more South Africans the dignity of being able to buy and own their own houses,' he said. 'And though this budget and the department have many challenges under normal circumstances it would be supported. However, we sit with a minister who faces corruption allegations who has not been accountable to the South African public. And it is because of this we struggle support this particular budget.' Mphithi and the MK Party's Thulani Gumede raised several issues with the human settlements budget presented by Simelane, saying it was not dealing with some of the key issues faced by South Africans in the sector. 'A critical examination reveals a fundamental flaw, an overall real decline in the department's budget. None of its five main programmes demonstrates above-inflation increases,' said Gumede. 'This systemic underfunding of human settlements initiatives will inevitably worsen existing backlogs and impair the progressive realisation of adequate housing.' He said his party could not vote for as it would mean they accepted the decrease in allocation. 'I asserted during the committee meeting last week and I reiterate now that this draft budget must be rejected. It's real term decline across key programmes particularly in integrated human settlements and informal settlements upgrading directly contradicts the constitutional obligation to provide adequate housing and the strategic goals of the national development plans,' he said. 'Accepting this budget will constitute a retreat from addressing deeply entrenched structural inequalities and the pressing needs of the vulnerable communities for basic services and dignified living conditions.' TimesLIVE
