Friday, November 28, 2025

Our duty as leaders guided by the constitution, is to build a country and province where every woman, every child and every family can live without fear. We re-affirm our responsibility to strengthen the institutional capacity of our province, particularly in the arears where safety, empowerment and protection of women and children must be urgently reinforced. This Adjustment Budget stands as a transparent assessment of our province's financial position, the challenges we continue to confront and the strategic decisions required to safeguard long-term stability and strengthen our province. The minister of finance Enoch Godongwana, tabled the Medium-Term Budget policy Statement (MTBPS) on the 12th of November, signalling a wave of optimism throughout the country...[Read more]

Wednesday, November 12, 2025

Our optimism is rooted in the progress we have made in keeping the promises we set out. A promise to grow the economy faster, to strengthen public finances, and to improve life for all South Africans. Two years ago, we committed to stabilising public debt in the current year and then begin to reduce it. Despite a challenging environment of persistently low economic growth, we are on track to achieve this goal. We also committed to remove South Africa from the Financial Action Task Force grey list. We have delivered on this commitment in just two and a half years. This is thanks to collaboration across government departments, law enforcement agencies and the private sector. Exiting the grey list enhances South Africa’s attractiveness to investors and make it easier to do business with us. However, we cannot afford to be complacent. FATF’s next mutual evaluation of South Africa begins in the first half of 2026...[Read more]

Thursday, July 24, 2025

I table this budget at a time when the province is emerging from an intense rainy season, during which floods caused susbstantial damage to roads and bridges. Preliminary assessments estimate the cost of recovery at R2.098 billion. These figures underscore the scale of our task and the urgency with which we must act. The Department cannot shoulder this burden alone. A coordinated, multi-sectoral response is required to resotre critical infrastructure and safeguard livelihoods. As we chart the course for the next five years, the Department's central focus is clear: we are stimulating inclusive economic growth through the delivery and maintenance of public infrastructure. We are acutely aware that our mandate is not merely administrative; it is developmental. The Department of Public Works and Roads is the infrastructure delivery arm of the provincial government,..[Read more]...[Read in pdf format]

Wednesday, May 21, 2025

Quality infrastructure investment expands the productive capacity of the economy and responds to the diverse needs of the citizens. Infrastructure is also a rich source of jobs, in construction, engineering, and related industries across a range of skill levels. It is for these reasons that infrastructure is the fourth pillar of the growth strategy. And this budget demonstrates our resolve to change the composition of spending from consumption to investment. Allocations towards capital payments remain the fastest-growing area of spending by economic classification. Public infrastructure spending over three years will exceed the R1 trillion mark. This spending will focus on maintaining and repairing existing infrastructure, building new infrastructure, and acquiring equipment and machinery. It will focus on three sectors: transport and logistics; energy and water and sanitation. Of the R402 billion for transport and logistics, R93.1 billion is for the South African National Roads Agency (SANRAL)...[Read more]

Wednesday, March 19, 2025

The 2025/26 Provincial Budget proposals that we are tabling today are not mere abstract numbers but are intended to address the lived realities of millions, the silent struggles of our youth and the deferred dreams of generations who placed their faith in our democracy. This budget we wish to demonstrate our commitment to fiscal prudence, economic revitalisation, and sustainable development. It is not about making easy choices, but the right ones-choices that will lay the foundation for a thriving economy, a vibrant democracy and a province in which every individual can prosper. In 2024, the economy grew by only 0.6 per cent as per the Stats SA Gross Domestic product (GDP) report. Minister Godongwana, during his delivery of the 2025 Budget Speech, indicated that over the medium term, GDP growth is projected to. avarage 1.8 per cent. The anticipated recovery is expected to be driven and supported by improved invester confidence, stable electricity supply, lower interest rates and declining risk premium...[Read more] [Re-Tabling of 205/26 Provincial Budget]

Thursday, February 27, 2025

“We need a state that is capable and competent, underpinned by a professional public service. South Africans want a state that treats all people with dignity, humility and respect. A state with leaders who are prepared to serve our people with complete dedication, and public servants who are ethical, skilled and properly qualified”. I need to out rightly indicate that as a province we are concerned about the high levels of unemployment and poverty confronting our communities. We are a province endowed with natural resources such as minerals and weather conditions that permit a conducive environment for agriculture to thrive as well as majestic tourist attraction sites that we must exploit to create economic opportunities for our people.The recent Quarterly Labour Force Survey, where our province shed twenty thousand jobs putting the expanded unemployment rate at fifty-two percent, must galvanize and unite all of us to tackle these issues, head on! Therefore, aggressive measures are needed to find solutions to these challenges...[Read more]