The MEC for Finance in the Free State, Ms Gadija Brown, had very little to no leeway to table a provincial budget that will effectively address the provincial shortcomings.
Due the recession in which South Africa currently finds itself, the economic cake is much smaller and, thus, the slice allocated to the Free State is also smaller. The MEC should stimulate job creation outside of the government and must refrain from artificially adjusting the unemployment rate.
The only way to make the Free State's economy grow is to reduce the wage bill and to create an economic climate in which the private sector can create more jobs.
The agricultural sector is a significant provider of jobs and contributes greatly to food security, but was once again sorely neglected. Commercial farmers are yet again offered no support. The agricultural sector will not be able to create more job opportunities if the government is allowed to proceed with its absurd plans of expropriation.
As in the past, the budget demonstrates the ruling party's skewed sense of priorities and self-serving tendencies.
For the 2020/2021 financial year, more than R670 million has been allocated to the Premier's Office, which is approximately R200 million more than the R462 million allocated to the Department of Cooperative Governance that is tasked with managing the Free State's struggling municipalities.
The budget is not serving the interests of the people of the Free State. The Free State's coffers are empty and the little money that is available to departments and municipalities must be appropriately allocated and managed. The FF Plus will keep fighting for the proper allocation of funds.
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