DA unhappy with Budget Speech

The DA in Mpumalanga voiced its concerns regarding the 2021/22 Budget Speech that took place on Tuesday.

In the speech, the MEC for finance, economic development and tourism, Prince Vusumuzi Mkhatshwa, revealed that along with the overall budget reduction, the Department of Education’s annual budget would be decreased, too.

In a statement released by the DA today, the party said the budget speech lacked a proper plan for economic growth and job creation.

“The budget speech did not really give us a clear direction and clear programmes on how government would respond to unemployment, contraction of the economic landscape and job losses caused by Covid-19,” read the statement written by Bosman Grobler, MPL and DA spokesperson on finance and economic development.

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“The DA wanted to hear a proper plan on how we will grow the economy to respond to issues like job creation, job losses, economic contraction and upliftment of the hardest-hit tourism sector. The MEC said little about those issues.”

Mkhatshwa referred to data gathered by the Department of Home Affairs that indicated the foreign arrivals to South Africa had declined by 71 per cent in 2020 as compared to 2019.

“Mpumalanga’s loss in foreign arrivals for 2020 is estimated at approximately 73 per cent. The loss in total tourism spend in the province for 2020 is estimated at 81,2 per cent of the 2019 value.”

Grobler said, “We believe the MEC should have tabled a detailed plan on how this sector will be helped to recover again, yet he failed to do so.”

Mpumalanga’s expanded unemployment rate increased to 46,4 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2020, according to StatsSA, much of which has been attributed to Covid-19.

The DA said the MEC provided no plan to respond to this.

“There is no better way to serve people than creating jobs as we are facing the Covid-19 pandemic, and through the delivery of services such as water, electricity, housing and roads,” said Grobler. “The people of this province should brace themselves for tough times ahead.”