The Free State Premier continues to ask for more funds and the ANC just keeps giving them to her.
The Free State Legislature today (Thursday) approved the adjustment budget, allocating an additional R7 million to Premier MaQueen Mathae’s office.
The Freedom Front Plus voted against it. The Premier’s Department is not a service delivery department and allocating funds beyond the initial budget, which already exceeded R630 million, is a disgrace.
As Premier, she should see to it that the province’s departments do not forfeit money (R32 million in the current financial year), instead, she asks for more money to spend on senseless projects.
These senseless expenses include, among other things:
• R11 million for so-called community development workers,
• R1,5 million for a G20 event,
• R3 million to declare gender-based violence a disaster, and
• R2 million for a so-called SMS indaba.
Meanwhile, her Department is currently under investigation for R482 million and R31 million in irregular and fruitless and wasteful expenditure, respectively.
The additional R62 million budgeted and earmarked for municipal debt by the provincial government is also not enough.
Service delivery and infrastructure departments either struggle to obtain money for critical services or they fail to complete projects, such as building and repairing roads and hospitals.
As long as the ANC remains in control of the province’s purse, money will be squandered on misguided priorities.
