On Thursday, the Northern Cape Legislature debated the budget votes for the Premier and the Legislature. The Freedom Front Plus (VF Plus) voted against the Legislature’s budget and supported the Premier’s budget, albeit with serious reservations.
The entire provincial government revolves around these two budget votes.
The Legislature’s primary function is oversight of departments and local authorities. However, it cannot perform this task properly due to budget constraints
For years, the Freedom Front Plus has maintained that the equitable distribution of revenue cannot be calculated solely based on a province’s population size, but should also take its geographical area into account.
Because oversight has to be conducted mainly from offices in Kimberley – due to budgetary constraints – only 2 out of 30 municipalities received clean audits.
Healthcare services, particularly those provided by clinics and remote hospitals, are not only substandard, but also endanger the lives of the province’s most vulnerable residents.
Seeing as the Legislature will not be able to fulfil its main function with the current budget, the Freedom Front Plus voted against it.
The Premier and his office are ultimately responsible for governing the province.
The party insists that the Premier’s Office conduct an annual performance audit of each department, implement decisive interventions in the Department of Health, and convene key stakeholders to restore local government to a functional state.
The Freedom Front Plus supports the Premier’s budget, but very tentatively.
