As the KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) MEC for Finance, Ms Peggy Nkonyeni, prepares for her 2024/25 budget speech, we expect that she focuses the budget on the essential needs of the province.
For starters, access to education is fundamental for development, and investing in this sector allows learners to acquire vital skills for personal and professional growth. Despite the education sector receiving the largest share of the provincial government’s 2023/24 budget of R60.6 billion, it is concerning that the Department of Education (DoE) was unable to address many challenges during that period.
In her upcoming budget speech, we expect that in allocating a significant portion to the education sector, the province will be able to deal head-on with challenges that were faced during the previous year, particularly focusing on funding to tackle the shortage of teachers in schools across the province, maintaining or rebuilding dilapidated infrastructure, the proper implementation and running of the school nutrition programme, and ensuring that every school within KZN benefits from the programme, and lastly, address crucial issues such as the failure of scholar transport, which disproportionally affected learners in many parts of rural areas.
Overall, we believe that allocating the highest budget to the education sector is not only a wise investment, but it is a fundamental right that ensures equal opportunities for all individuals to fulfil their potential and contribute to the betterment of our society.
Keeping to last year’s patterns, we anticipate that the MEC will allocate the second-largest budget to the Department of Health.
We have witnessed numerous instances where our public healthcare facilities have struggled to meet the needs of patients due to understaffing, and the shortage of resources and other work material.
KZN faces a notable shortage of doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals, and by allocating a substantial budget to this sector, we anticipate that this will address the persistent challenge of staff shortage in many healthcare facilities, more especially in rural areas.
We remain optimistic that this year’s health budget will address these challenges, in an effort to enhance healthcare for the people of KZN.
ActionSA maintains that an investment in the healthcare system is not only a matter of social justice but is also an investment in the long-term prosperity and sustainability of our society.
Addressing the water challenges that have our province in a chokehold requires a multi-faceted approach that involves sustainable water resource management and the investment in infrastructure, which the governing party has displayed little to no regard in the need to address this challenge with the utmost urgency it requires.
It is evident that district municipalities have neglected their duties in prioritising water supply to residents, and it is also evident that our municipalities do not discriminate in this regard. What was once a challenge faced by those who reside in rural areas due to infrastructure challenges, is now affecting people from all walks of life. Residents across KZN do not have access to clean running water for months on end and there has been no urgency to correct these shortcomings.
Despite these challenges, district municipalities are failing to use budgets allocated to them to address these issues, leading to these funds being returned to the National Treasury.
We have been vocal about our plans to disband district municipalities once we are in power due to their failure to fulfil their fundamental mandate of providing water to the people of KZN.
The number of individuals without access to clean water outweighs those who have access to water, and we anticipate that the MEC will allocate a substantial amount to addressing these challenges.
The overall infrastructure of our province is in shambles. Specifically:
- Road infrastructure:
These aren’t sufficiently maintained, leading to potholes and deterioration of roads.
- Housing infrastructure:
The province faces a shortage of affordable housing, particularly in urban areas, which are overflowing with informal settlements with inadequate infrastructure and services, such as electricity and sanitation.
There is a backlog in government provided housing leading to long waiting lists and the need for sustainable housing solutions to address the growing population.
In her budget speech, the MEC should address these challenges and provide appropriate budget allocations to address the issues, which have contributed to the decline in tourism numbers in our province.
In recent years, the eThekwini Municipality has deteriorated significantly and the situation has continued to worsen. Despite being a major contributor to our province’s GDP, eThekwini is struggling under ineffective leadership.
The Department of Economic Development, Tourism & Environmental Affairs requires adequate budget allocation to help eThekwini recover and ensure that our province’s economic engine is well oiled to generate revenue.
The economic growth of eThekwini will provide sustainable access to opportunities for all residents.
Growth in economy will guarantee investment and trade security and will warrant a KZN in which every individual has access to economic opportunities and the freedom to achieve economic prosperity, and as ActionSA, we uphold that should MEC Nkonyeni focus her budget allocation wisely in the above sectors, KZN will begin to steer within the right direction.
KZN Budget: Addressing Challenges in KZN Requires the MEC to Grasp the Full Extent of our Province’s Issues
As the KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) MEC for Finance, Ms Peggy Nkonyeni, prepares for her 2024/25 budget speech, we expect that she focuses the budget on the essential needs of the province.
For starters, access to education is fundamental for development, and investing in this sector allows learners to acquire vital skills for personal and professional growth. Despite the education sector receiving the largest share of the provincial government’s 2023/24 budget of R60.6 billion, it is concerning that the Department of Education (DoE) was unable to address many challenges during that period.
In her upcoming budget speech, we expect that in allocating a significant portion to the education sector, the province will be able to deal head-on with challenges that were faced during the previous year, particularly focusing on funding to tackle the shortage of teachers in schools across the province, maintaining or rebuilding dilapidated infrastructure, the proper implementation and running of the school nutrition programme, and ensuring that every school within KZN benefits from the programme, and lastly, address crucial issues such as the failure of scholar transport, which disproportionally affected learners in many parts of rural areas.
Overall, we believe that allocating the highest budget to the education sector is not only a wise investment, but it is a fundamental right that ensures equal opportunities for all individuals to fulfil their potential and contribute to the betterment of our society.
Keeping to last year’s patterns, we anticipate that the MEC will allocate the second-largest budget to the Department of Health.
We have witnessed numerous instances where our public healthcare facilities have struggled to meet the needs of patients due to understaffing, and the shortage of resources and other work material.
KZN faces a notable shortage of doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals, and by allocating a substantial budget to this sector, we anticipate that this will address the persistent challenge of staff shortage in many healthcare facilities, more especially in rural areas.
We remain optimistic that this year’s health budget will address these challenges, in an effort to enhance healthcare for the people of KZN.
ActionSA maintains that an investment in the healthcare system is not only a matter of social justice but is also an investment in the long-term prosperity and sustainability of our society.
Addressing the water challenges that have our province in a chokehold requires a multi-faceted approach that involves sustainable water resource management and the investment in infrastructure, which the governing party has displayed little to no regard in the need to address this challenge with the utmost urgency it requires.
It is evident that district municipalities have neglected their duties in prioritising water supply to residents, and it is also evident that our municipalities do not discriminate in this regard. What was once a challenge faced by those who reside in rural areas due to infrastructure challenges, is now affecting people from all walks of life. Residents across KZN do not have access to clean running water for months on end and there has been no urgency to correct these shortcomings.
Despite these challenges, district municipalities are failing to use budgets allocated to them to address these issues, leading to these funds being returned to the National Treasury.
We have been vocal about our plans to disband district municipalities once we are in power due to their failure to fulfil their fundamental mandate of providing water to the people of KZN.
The number of individuals without access to clean water outweighs those who have access to water, and we anticipate that the MEC will allocate a substantial amount to addressing these challenges.
The overall infrastructure of our province is in shambles. Specifically:
These aren’t sufficiently maintained, leading to potholes and deterioration of roads.
The province faces a shortage of affordable housing, particularly in urban areas, which are overflowing with informal settlements with inadequate infrastructure and services, such as electricity and sanitation.
There is a backlog in government provided housing leading to long waiting lists and the need for sustainable housing solutions to address the growing population.
In her budget speech, the MEC should address these challenges and provide appropriate budget allocations to address the issues, which have contributed to the decline in tourism numbers in our province.
In recent years, the eThekwini Municipality has deteriorated significantly and the situation has continued to worsen. Despite being a major contributor to our province’s GDP, eThekwini is struggling under ineffective leadership.
The Department of Economic Development, Tourism & Environmental Affairs requires adequate budget allocation to help eThekwini recover and ensure that our province’s economic engine is well oiled to generate revenue.
The economic growth of eThekwini will provide sustainable access to opportunities for all residents.
Growth in economy will guarantee investment and trade security and will warrant a KZN in which every individual has access to economic opportunities and the freedom to achieve economic prosperity, and as ActionSA, we uphold that should MEC Nkonyeni focus her budget allocation wisely in the above sectors, KZN will begin to steer within the right direction.