The Democratic Alliance (DA) is calling on Finance MEC, Mlungisi Mvoko, to table a jobs-focused budget that focuses on infrastructure development and the delivery of basic services.

There is far too much money going to the bloated salaries of cadre-deployed millionaire managers and not enough spent on frontline staff who are at the coalface of service delivery.

Earlier gains in employment across the province have been wiped out by a devastating third quarter, with 111,000 provincial jobs lost in the three months to December 2023.

Better roads, stable water and electricity supply, and functioning government departments and municipalities bring new businesses, encourage investment and create jobs.

MEC Mvoko will also need to clearly set out how he intends to deal with the Department of Health, which is factually bankrupt and requires billions of rands just to settle historic debt. The Department is still battling to settle accruals from the 22/23 financial year.

We are also calling on the MEC to honour the commitment made by Premier Oscar Mabuyane at the start of the term to rationalise some of the provincial state-owned entities that are draining billions from the provincial fiscus, with little to nothing to show for it.

The DA will also be monitoring the funds allocated to the Department of Transport, specifically that allocated to the Scholar Transport Programme. We rejected last year’s budget as it was clear from the onset that this programme was woefully underfunded.

We cannot allow hundreds of millions of rands to be spent on non-core business such as catering for government officials and consultants, while our children stand on the side of the road, waiting for a lift to school that will never come.

We are also still waiting for an indication that the Finance MEC will begin steps to rationalise provincial state-owned businesses, as has been promised by Premier Oscar Mabuyane since the beginning of his term in office. These entities are draining billions from the provincial fiscus with little to nothing to show.

MEC Mvoko must choose how he wants to end this term. Will he take bold action and try to fulfil some of the promises made to the people of this province, or will he kick the can down the road once more, leaving a legacy of empty promises and poor decisions for those returning after the elections to try and solve?

The DA has a comprehensive plan that will enable people to rescue themselves from poverty and inequality by implementing policies that aim to lift six million people out of extreme poverty and into dignity.