Outcomes of last Western Cape Government Cabinet meeting for 2023

On Wednesday, 13 December, Premier Alan Winde chaired the last meeting of 2023 of the Western Cape Government (WCG) Cabinet.
School admissions

Cabinet received a briefing from officials of the Western Cape Department of Education (WCED) on the school admission process for the 2024 academic year.

Provincial Minister of Education, David Maynier, told Cabinet that the department has put in a massive effort to provide new classrooms to accommodate all learners, despite national government budget cuts. This will be a massive challenge to address. It was stressed that the department is exploring all available options to find a place for all learners, for whom an application is received, for the start of the school year.

Due to national government cuts to the WCED’s infrastructure budget, its revised plan aims to deliver 608 additional classrooms across the province, which is still more than double the average number built annually before 2022/2023.

Cabinet appealed for patience as the admission process proceeds. As of 11 December 2023, the WCED had allocated places for 120 778, or 99.43%, of the learners for whom applications were received for Grades 1 and 8 for the 2024 school year.

Placement is in progress for 688, or 0.56%, Grade 1 and 8 learners. Late applications continue to arrive, with 176 received in just the past three weeks.

Cabinet noted that Western Cape schools are full and appealed to parents submitting new applications for patience as they may not be placed before the end of the first term.

Meetings with national government ministers over inefficiencies at Port of Cape Town & fiscal crisis

Premier Winde and provincial Minister of Finance and Economic Opportunities, Mireille Wenger, gave a report back on two meetings that they held this week to discuss issues of critical importance to the Western Cape.

On Monday, 11 December, the Premier led a delegation to a meeting with Minister of Public Enterprises, Pravin Gordhan, along with officials from state logistics entity, Transnet, to discuss worrying and gathering inefficiencies at the Port of Cape Town (PoCT).

The WCG delegation was told the national government was working on a turnaround plan.

Cabinet resolved to closely monitor efforts to improve the efficiency of the PoCT and will continue to push national government to urgently scale up refurbishments to infrastructure at the facility. The Premier reiterated, “This is essential if we are to increase exports and grow the economy, especially in our growth sector of agriculture.”

The Premier headed up a delegation to a separate meeting in Gauteng with Minister of Finance, Enoch Godongwana, and other national government officials on Tuesday, 12 December, to discuss the Intergovernmental Dispute (IGD) the WCG has declared with national government over the massive funding shortfall the provincial government has been burdened with due to the centrally negotiated unaffordable public sector wage increase agreement.

Cabinet resolved to keep exerting pressure to have this matter addressed with the urgency it deserves. “We made our views and concerns very clear to the Minister. This is a watershed case,” said the Premier, adding, “It is a matter of principle which we hope will lay the ground for the way wages in the public service are negotiated in the future. We are fighting for our citizens and their rights to essential services like schools, clinics, and well-maintained roads.”

At the Cabinet gathering, Premier Winde reflected on the past year, “It has been a tough year. I vividly recall the devastation of the June and September floods; the worst load shedding on record; the needlessly violent minibus taxi strike; the realisation of what the Census 2022 data was telling us; failures in the country’s logistics sector and especially the pressures our residents are under due to the rising cost of living and inflation.”

He added, “We are always thinking of our citizens and their needs. This is brought into sharp focus over this time of year. This is a period of introspection, renewal, and relaxation for most of us. I urge all our residents and those visiting our province to celebrate the festive season peacefully and responsibly.”

“Many will find opportunities over this period, which is expected to be a bumper tourism season, with our job creation drive reaping impressive results. When I look back on the year, some of the many things I reflect on are the Netball World Cup, which Cape Town and the Western Cape hosted, a first for the continent; how we all jumped into action to repair roads and infrastructure damaged in the extreme weather events; and how we have made progress in addressing the energy crisis by enabling municipalities to ease the impact of power cuts. The WCG achieved the best audit results in years, with all our departments and entities receiving unqualified audits, but we remain mindful that it is the daily experience of the citizen that is the true measure of the difference we are making in their lives. ”.

“If you are traveling, please travel safely. For many of you, this is a precious time that will be spent with family, friends, and loved ones. It is an opportunity to be grateful for the peace, love, and joy in our lives and to consider others less fortunate than ourselves.

We would like to thank every member of the WCG for their contributions. Have a safe and blessed festive season and all the best for the coming year,” concluded Premier Winde.