RP says to ANC & DA in WC budget crisis, don’t steal our money and don’t give it away

RP says to ANC & DA in WC budget crisis, don’t steal our money and don’t give it away

The Referendum Party (RP) has observed the debate between the ANC and the DA in the Western Cape over teaching cuts with anger and incredulity. Both parties have much to answer for and both should take a long hard look in the mirror.  

Premier Winde is blaming the national government’s wage agreement which has been forced onto the province without any increase in budget to fund it leaving a R3.8bn shortfall which will now result in the loss of 2 400 teaching posts in the Western Cape.

The ANC are arguing that if Winde hadn’t redirected R1.1bn away from the education and health budgets to fund the LEAP programme then some of these posts could have been saved.

RP leader Phil Craig says, “We need to put the R3.8bn shortfall into its proper perspective. According to its own finance minister, the ANC facilitated the theft of R250bn through state capture and they are the party who broke the education, health, and policing systems in the first place. Meanwhile, Winde has played the lead role in preventing regional autonomy by blocking the Western Cape Peoples Bill and refusing to call a referendum on either federalism or Cape Independence. As a result, 35% of taxes raised in the Western Cape still subsidise the rest of South Africa. This equates to a net outward contribution of approximately R300bn per year. If the ANC stopped stealing our money and Winde stopped giving it away, we could be increasing teaching numbers in the Western Cape and building new schools, not retrenching teachers.”

In November 2023, DA leader John Steenhuisen promised that on his first day in National Government he would devolve powers to the Western Cape. Well, now he is in national government, but the Western Cape is still waiting. 

DATE: 09 September 2024