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DA Debates 2016/17 Gauteng Department Of Roads And Transport Budget

Speech by: Neil Campbell MPL

“Roads and Transport budget will not get Gauteng moving”

  • Despite some departmental successes in the past year this budget fails to address urgent problems.
  • Corruption lurks in the Transport Department yet a budget plan to eliminate it is lacking.
  • The West Rand’s inferior transportation infrastructure requires long overdue improvement. But is Gautrain expansion the answer? Gautrain tickets cost more than PRASA’s and are unaffordable to most commuters as the recent Household Transport Survey revealed.
  • Premiere Makhura talks opposition to corruption yet it finds refuge in the Transport Department, right under his nose.

The full speech can be obtained here.

 

Speech by: Justus de Goede MPL

“Public transport not meeting demands”

  • What happened to the “radical” transformation we heard so much about over the last year? The Department’s spending framework for the year certainly doesn’t reflect that.
  • Subsidies are falling behind operating costs and new solutions will have to be found to keep routes from being abandoned.
  • Research estimates that for each Rand of investment spent on public transport, between R 4 and R 9 in benefit resulted.
  • This should be a wake-up call – our public transport systems are not keeping pace with strong and rising demand and need urgent attention.

The full speech can be obtained here.

 

Media Enquiries:

Neil Campbell MPL

DA Gauteng Shadow MEC for Roads and Transport

082 387 2540

 

Justus de Goede MPL

DA Gauteng Spokesperson on Transportation

060 558 8305

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DA Debates 2016/17 Gauteng Department Of Infrastructure Development Budget

Speech by: Alan Fuchs MPL

“Gauteng’s infrastructure budget expects different outcome trying same old tricks”

  • DID exhibits the typical symptoms of public sector insourcing, namely inefficiency, ineffectiveness and costs that are much higher than they would be in an environment of proper political oversight, competency, sound management and consequences for non-performance.
  • It is common cause that the building of infrastructure can positively influence the economy and our socio-economic circumstances. To do so however, requires a certain amount of investment which is usually expressed as a percentage of GDP. In Gauteng, we are nowhere near the level of investment required.
  • It is incumbent on this administration to stop the bleeding in DID. The first step that must be taken is a skills audit of all personnel to ensure that we have the right people with the requisite skills in the right job.
  • You must put your political pride in your pocket and involve the private sector either as partners in PPPs or by outsourcing the construction of infrastructure and buying or leasing back the assets

The full speech can be obtained here.

 

Speech by: Janho Engelbrecht MPL

“Gauteng’s infrastructure budget expects different outcome trying same old tricks”

  • DID is not able to meet its mandate, not because of this budget, but because it is not able to lift its performance above 60%, year in and year out.
  • A large part of DID’s budget goes towards Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP).
  • The ANC uses EPWP to prop up statistics on job creation while knowing that EPWP jobs does not represent sustainable permanent jobs.
  • If the EPWP jobs are taken out of the job creation statistics a true reflection of reality comes to the fore, which is a province facing an unemployment crisis.

The full speech can be obtained here.

 

Media enquiries:

Alan Fuchs, MPL

DA Gauteng Shadow MEC for Infrastructure Development

060 558 8313

 

Janho Engelbrecht, MPL

DA Gauteng Spokesperson on Infrastructure Development

060 556 4343

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DA Debates 2016/17 Gauteng Department Of Agriculture And Rural Development Budget

Speech by: Ina Cilliers MPL

“Modernisation of agricultural budget sorely required”

  • The major concern is that in spite of the strategic imperative of “agriarian reform” and all the “radical” imperatives, the bulk of the budget does not speak to the needs of farmers.
  • Agriculture’s total contribution to the GDP in Gauteng is only 0.5% even though half of all the agro-processing in SA takes place in Gauteng. The department does not have to be happy with this- it suggests that the GDARD is still positioning itself as a social development driver, and not an economic development driver.
  • Your budget should not be spent on food parcels, vegetable gardens and handing out seed packets and garden hoses. Leave that to the department of social development. You should be supporting the individual entrepreneurship of existing farmers, helping them to succeed commercially by tapping in to modern trends.

The full speech can be obtained here.

 

Speech by: Janho Engelbrecht MPL

“Government negligence laying waste to Gauteng’s environment”

  • Across the province developments are being approved in contravention of the National Environmental Management Act.
  • How is it possible that environmentally degrading developments can be approved after receiving the green light from GDARD in the form of EIA’s, when it is in direct contravention of National Legislation?
  • We are busy creating a situation where the legacy we leave our children would be a toxic wasteland all in the name of economic progress, something which, by the way, this administration is not very good at.

The full statement can be obtained here.

 

Media enquiries:

Ina Cilliers MPL

DA Gauteng Spokesperson on Agriculture

060 556 4344

 

Janho Engelbrecht MPL

DA Gauteng Spokesperson on Environmental Affairs

060 556 4343

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DA Debates 2016/17 Gauteng Department Of Economic Development Budget

Speech by: Ina Cilliers MPL

“Economic budget out of sync with economic crisis”

  • The Department of Economic Development’s budget of R1.3 billion is not leveraged in such a way to create a meaningful, large scale economic difference in Gauteng – especially not in township economies.
  • An amount of only R245 million is budgeted for economic infrastructure- this is a very small amount given demands in Gauteng, and only R50 million of this will be spent in townships.
  • The department should re-evaluate their planned spend to focus on modernising the informal economy in the townships because this is where potential is and entrepreneurs there have different needs.
  • The department can use their money to make it easier to do business in Gauteng by cutting red tape, relaxing the regulatory environment and by looking for best practice to emulate.

The full speech can be obtained here.

 

Speech by: Ashor Sarupen MPL

“Cadre deployment holding back real job creation”

  • The AIDC is now paralysed by infighting. Documentation is presently sitting with the Public Protector and the Public Service Commission that shows that staff have been appointed by this CEO even though they did not even score highest in the interviews, in contravention of policy.
  • The reality is that the ANC created agencies in Gauteng not for the purposes of economic growth, but to give high paying jobs to its members, regardless of their position.
  • Honourable Premier – you called for more cadre deployment… The ANC must stop misleading people – what it says in its manifesto are not its real policies.

The full speech can be obtained here.

 

Speech by: Janho Engelbrecht MPL

 “Policy uncertainty cannot weather Gauteng’s economic storm”

  • This government must provide certainty on its vision for the economy, the policy it intends to implement to realize that vision, and its commitment to ensuring that the economy serves ordinary people.
  • The government should recognize the need to broaden participation in the economy and help to make it easier for outsiders, not just the politically connected, to become owners, access capital and actively participate in the economy.
  • Government must work to give more people the education and skills they need to get a job and to support the kinds of research and development that can make South Africa a winning nation in a globalized knowledge economy.

The full speech can be obtained here.

 

Media enquires:

Ina Cilliers

DA Gauteng Spokesperson on Economic Development

060 556 4344

 

Ashor Sarupen

DA Gauteng Spokesperson on Economic Development

060 558 8303

 

Janho Engelbrecht

DA Gauteng Spokesperson on Economic Development

060 556 4343

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DA Gauteng Debates 2016/17 Treasury Budget

Speech by: Adriana Randall

“Realistic plans needed to reduce fiscal drain in Gauteng”

  • We need real spending cuts, rather than cost containment measures. The emphasis is on the appropriate management of fiscal risk, strengthening fiscal consolidation and to enable government to be responsive in dealing with unforeseen and unaffordable expenditure.
  • New appointments must be subject to clear human resource plans with lower budgets.
  • Provincial entities with duplicate functions must be rationalized as far as possible as many of these agencies duplicate functions and services at national level.
  • Let’s agree that realistic plans, and the effective execution is now of great importance and that this budget must be all about growth – sustainable growth, inclusive growth and smart growth

The full speech can be obtained here.

 

Speech by: Mike Moriarty

“Treasury’s pedestrian approach to project implementation” 

  • The Treasury describes itself as an “activist” treasury, that may be true, but one area that remains arguably “pedestrian” rather than activist is in the matter of Public Private Partnerships.
  • The greater number of projects financed off balance sheet is undertaken by GIFA, so perhaps it will be argued that the outcomes will be found there, but there ought to be some measurable objective of this “specialised PPP capacity”.
  • It is not as if there are no infrastructural backlogs: 4 hospitals are overdue for delivery and an undefined number of clinics need to be built; there are about 100 schools that need to be built to meet the demand; and of course there is the long-awaited Kopanong Precinct.
  • The World Bank maintains a Private Participation in Infrastructure database. This showcases over 6400 public infrastructure projects, mostly in 139 low and middle income countries. These include Kenya, Tanzania, India and Vietnam.

The full speech can be obtained here.

 

Media Enquiries:

Adriana Randall MPL

DA Gauteng Shadow MEC on Finance

060 556 4342

 

Mike Moriarty, MPL

DA Gauteng Spokesperson on Finance

082 492 4410

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DA Debates 2016/17 Gauteng Department Of e-Governance Budget

Speech by: Adriana Randall MPL

 “Infant e-Governance has a long way to go”

  • Government in S.A. is the largest consumer of ICT goods and services. However, because of a gap in terms of a proper e-waste disposal policy, the challenge of e-waste accumulation is a ticking time bomb.
  • The most important pillar is that of citizen participation, promoting citizens from mere recipients and consumers of government services, to active participants and decision makers in line with Batho Pele principles.
  • Putting government on-line is one thing, making government websites functional and easy to use is quite another.

 The full speech can be obtained here.

 

Speech by: Ashor Sarupen MPL

“Little saving benefit from Gauteng Online”

  • We are still paying service providers for connectivity in many departments despite Gauteng Broadband Network (GBN) connectivity being available.
  • Another concern is the nature of the contract with Cloudseed for 3G connectivity to tablets. As schools are connected to the GBN, the need to use the 3G connectivity ends. Yet we now have a situation where we are paying twice for the same service where the GBN is online.
  • There is a serious risk developing in the Gauteng Government – which is the lack of transversal management and silo mentality that appears to persist. It means that the potential to save tens of millions of rands through IT solutions and the GBN is lost.

The full speech can be obtained here.

 

Media Enquiries:

Adriana Randall MPL

DA Gauteng Shadow MEC on Finance

060 556 4342

 

Ashor Sarupen MPL

DA Gauteng Spokesperson on Finance

060 558 8303

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DA To Debate Gauteng 2016/17 Budgets

Tomorrow, Friday 27 May 2016, the DA in the Gauteng Provincial Legislature will debate the budgets of the Departments of Economic Development, Roads and Transport, Agriculture and Rural Development, Finance, e-Governance and Infrastructure Development.

The DA will present its alternative vision for how funds in these departments could be better utilised to uplift the lives of Gauteng’s residents.

Date: Friday, 27 May 2016

Time: 10h00

Place: Gauteng Provincial Legislature

 

Media enquiries: 

Warren Gwilt

Manager: Research and Communications

073 601 6144 

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DA Gauteng Debates Social Development Budget 2016/17

Speech by: Refiloe Nt’sekhe MPL

“Gauteng Social Development needs to meet rising expectations”

  • Now more than ever before, the MEC of Social development should take the lead in forging a stronger relationship with both the departments of Sports, Recreation, Arts and Culture and Economic development.
  • The number of organisations that lose funding during the year indicates that the department needs to constantly challenge itself to meet its own targets on the empowerment of NGO’s, so that the beneficiaries are protected from closures.
  • EPWP will receive R13.1 million. It is concerning that the HIV/AIDS sub-programme responsible for prevention and social protection programmes will have to share this amount with other programme priorities.
  • Socio-economic empowerment of people with disabilities should become a priority in Gauteng. There is no report of what the disability desk has achieved for people with disabilities in Gauteng.

The full speech can be obtained here.

 

Speech by: Ashor Sarupen MPL

 “Social Development must learn to do more with less” 

  • Learn to do more with less, or this government will continue to fail the most vulnerable in society, whom this budget is meant to protect.
  • There is scope across this budget to spend the money allocated to the department far more effectively to achieve proper outcomes.
  • Proper costing of tenders in the department also needs to be reviewed. On the school uniform programme, we pay in excess of R600 per school uniform, when the average middle income family in South Africa spends R350 on a school uniform.
  • This R4.2 billion rand budget might not be sufficient to meet the needs of a province of over 13-million people, but it can be spent in a much more efficient manner.

The full speech can be obtained here

 

Media enquiries:

Refiloe Nt’sekhe MPL

DA Shadow MEC for Social Development

060 558 8297

 

Ashor Sarupen, MPL

DA Gauteng Spokesperson for Social Development

060 558 8303

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DA Gauteng Debates Community Safety Budget For 2016/17

Speech by: Kate Lorimer MPL

“Budget abuse while crime rages on”

  •         It is rather alarming that the issues raised when I first started with this portfolio, remain pertinent today. Crime continues to increase in the midst of this department’s distinguishably low and poor targets.
  •         The DA believes in an effective coherent-crime prevention and combatting strategy in partnership with focused yet multi-dimensional stakeholders.
  •         It does not matter how much money is spent, one will never reduce road fatalities if one cannot get the basics right.
  •         I have requested the department to repackage its approach and instead of having various divisions or groups promoting safety, that is, women, men, youth, senior citizens, traditional leaders, we should all be promoting safety together as a community.
  •         Perhaps, the R 8,6 million taken from the police budget to fund 4 Range Rovers, two Landrover Discovery’s, and five Audi SUV’s and sedans for the wives of Jacob Zuma could have been spent better on equipping our police to do their job.

The full speech can be obtained here.

 

Media Enquiries:

Kate Lorimer MPL

DA Gauteng Shadow MEC for Community Safety

083 642 2727

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DA Gauteng Debates SRAC Budget for 2016/17

Speech by: Paul Willemburg MPL

 “Department flooded with unfinished business”

  •         In the previous budgets we were promised that six libraries would be constructed in Tshwane.
  •         I look forward to the completion of the Archival Centre this year, especially as a huge amount of money is being spent on the overall project.
  •         The outcome of a programme like “Learn to Swim” is questioned when most of previously disadvantaged areas don’t have swimming pools and if they do, they often are in a poor state.
  •         The much lauded Mabaleng project remains a pipe dream and I look forward to its realisation.

The full speech can be obtained here.

 

Speech by: Kingsol Chabalala MPL

“Gauteng’s forgotten sporting codes”

  •          This year I stand before this house pleading for more funding towards grass roots development of sporting codes once the pride of this province.
  •         It is imperative that this department acts as a social net to take off the load carried by other departments such as social development, education and health.
  •         It is no wonder that year on year our athletes need to beg for funding. Is it not an ideal worth striving towards, to offer our young people in this province with a variety of sporting codes?
  •         If we are to uphold the title of “Gauteng the home of Champions” then I suggest we start identifying lost sporting codes, re-develop and support them and ensure we produce national and international sporting heroes – just like the national strategic goals suggest.

The full speech can be obtained here.

 

Media enquiries:

Paul Willemburg MPL

DA Gauteng Shadow MEC for Sport, Recreation, Arts, Culture and Heritage 

082 450 0815

 

Kingsol Chabalala MPL

DA Gauteng Spokesperson on Sport, Recreation, Arts, Culture and Heritage 

060 558 8299

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