GOOD Statement by Brett Herron, GOOD Secretary-General & Member of the Western Cape Parliament:
MEC for Finance, Minister Deidre Baartman, has delivered the Western Cape Government’s Medium Term Budget Policy Statement and Adjustment Budget.
The theme for the Budget Speech, “Scaling for Growth,” couldn’t camouflage a whopping R736.6 million slice taken out of the Education budget. That’s R466 million from the Public Ordinary School’s Budget + R270 million from the Schools Infrastructure Development Budget.
The allocation of a special grant of R232 million from the national government for Early Childhood Development helps, but the nett effect of the adjustment budget on the Education Department is a nett decrease of over R520 million in the current financial year’s budget.
The Western Cape Education Department is a department in crisis.
Last year, the education sector decided to cut 2,407 teacher posts, choosing to prioritise policing while running a false narrative about being a victim of budget cuts.
The budget tabled in March 2024 was fundamentally misleading the parliament and the people of the Western Cape by failing to disclose that the funding allocated for teachers was not enough to cover the number of teachers employed and budgeted for by the province. I have laid criminal charges against the then MEC for Finance and Education in this regard.
Now, the Department is reducing its salaries and infrastructure budgets by another R700 million. This will further exacerbate overcrowding and place an additional burden on those teachers who remain employed by a
Department that is unable to stabilise its budget and funding for compensation of employees.
Baartman did not table a budget that is “Scaling for Growth” – she tabled a budget that re-undermines the development of future generations, destroys futures, and relegates young people to the margins where the gangs find them ready for seduction.
The Western Cape Government can dress this adjustment budget up in any fancy title it likes. As they say: “Al dra ‘n aap ‘n goue ring bly hy nog steeds ‘n lelike ding.”
GOOD Electoral Performance: GOOD contested its first national elections in 2019.
pocket mazda
Fun South African Fact: What about beer? South African brewery SABMiller ranks – by volume – as the largest brewing company in the world. Saffers love their beer…but the real reason the brewery is so big? SABMiller also supplies up to 50% of China’s beer.
Petite Beauty
Van is hitch-hiking and he gets picked up by a larnie in a merc. After travelling awhile and making small talk, Van asks the larnie what the 3-pointed star on the bonnet is for. The larnie decides to have some fun with Van.
\”Oh, that\’s the sights, you know, for aiming. When I see someone on the side of the road and I want to run him over, I just line him up in the sights.\”