Health and education will receive more than 70 percent of the Western Cape’s R39-billion budget this year.
|||Health and education will receive more than 70 percent of the Western Cape’s R39-billion budget this year.
The two departments have been allocated just more than R28bn.
The year ahead will see the construction of new clinics, schools and multimillion-rand upgrades to major roads across the Western Cape.
There is R14.6bn dedicated to health. More than R348 million is set aside for building new clinics, while another R125.4m is allocated for upgrades to provincial health facilities.
Just over R14bn is also allocated to education. Of this, about R518m will go to building schools and “replacing inappropriate structures”. A further R114m will go towards maintenance and repairs.
Finance MEC Alan Winde delivered his budget speech in the provincial legislature on Thursday.
Tied into health, is the province’s fight against the growing substance abuse problem.
Social Development has also been allocated R77m, out of a total R1.4bn, to combat substance abuse.
In his speech, Winde said this year the Health Department would launch its High 5 Project. This aims to reduce alcohol-related violence in five high risk areas.
One of these areas was Khayelitsha, where a new health-care facility has also been built. Winde said the Khayelitsha Hospital would improve access to quality health care.
In education, R144m will be spent on providing text books, “on top of” standard allocations.
“We have made an unprecedented commitment to ensuring that over the next three years, every child… will have a textbook in every subject that he or she is taking.”
The Department of Transport and Public Works receives R4.6bn. Winde also announced roadworks set to start this year.
The divisional road between Gansbaai and Bredasdorp will be upgraded. The gravel stretch will be surfaced. It’s hoped this will increase tourism along the route between Gordons Bay and Cape Agulhas. This project will cost R250m.
A R28.9m upgrade is also planned for the Wingfield interchange bridges. Winde said the bridges were built in 1961 and had “exceeded their design life of 50 years”.
Earlier this month, premier Helen Zille announced the province’s broadband strategy. In this financial year, R10m is allocated to the project. It comes out of the allocation to the Department of Economic Development and Tourism, which receives R291m.
In this financial year, R4m goes to the Artscape and Founders Garden project. And another R4m to the Somerset precinct initiative. This also ties in with the expansion of the Cape Town International Convention Centre.
“Put together… the developments will give our foreshore a major facelift and encourage the growth of our thriving tourism, arts and culture sectors.”
And the province will also start buying buildings for its staff, instead of renting office space. Studies have shown purchasing property would be more feasible.
“From a cost-benefit perspective, we have discovered that we can make significant savings over the long term if we own, rather than lease, office space,” Winde said.
bronwynne.jooste@inl.co.za - Cape Argus