Political parties, including the DA and the FF Plus, expressed similar sentiments that the budget speech by MEC for finance Kenetshwe Mogenosi failed to address key issues such as economic growth, corruption, and wasteful expenditure across government institutions, including municipalities and provincial departments.

The annual budget was tabled during a sitting of the North West Provincial Legislature in Mmabatho on Thursday (12/3).

FF Plus MPL Michal Groenewald said the speech lacked meaningful plans to address the province’s challenges.

“The annual budget speech was filled with ideologically driven promises, but very little substance or concrete development strategies, to the Provincial Legislature,” said Groenewald.

While the provincial government had emphasised plans to rebuild confidence in municipalities, the financial allocations did not support those commitments. 

Local government

“Much was made of the provincial government’s expressed intention to restore local government as well as restore residents’ faith in their municipalities. It is not reflected in the budget, though. A mere R10 million is earmarked for launching ’capacity restoring programmes’ in municipalities even though it is no secret North West municipalities have reached an advanced level of decline.

“Mogenosi said contractors will henceforth be held accountable for poor service delivery and failure to meet their contractual obligations.” 

Groenewald further criticised what he described as a long-standing culture of corruption linked to public procurement.

Promises

“This comes against the backdrop of many similar promises made in the past and an established culture of impunity and tender corruption in North West cultivated by tenderpreneurs and their cohorts in local and provincial administrations over the course of decades. 

“This was once again confirmed before the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry, where municipal corruption amounting to R332 million was exposed. It is shocking that it has taken the ANC government 30 years to realise these practices cannot be tolerated and must be stopped.”

Socio-economic challenges 

The DA also criticised the budget, saying it fails to adequately tackle the province’s socio-economic challenges.

DA spokesperson on finance in North West, Hendriette van Hyssteen, said the budget fell short of addressing the province’s deep-rooted problems.

“Critical socio-economic problems such as unemployment, service delivery backlogs and poor municipal governance received poor attention.”  

Van Hyssteen said the allocation also lacks targeted interventions aimed at stimulating sustainable economic growth and improving living conditions for residents of the province.

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OFM News/Kekeletso Mosebetsi dg