The South African Communist Party in Gauteng Province welcomes the tabling of the R121 billion budget as tabled by the MEC for Finance comrade Barbara Creecy in the Gauteng Provincial legislature today, 6 March 2018.

We welcome the decisiveness and responsiveness of the 2018/2019 budget as it shows that the Gauteng Provincial Government clearly understands the interventions that have to be instituted to better the living conditions of the people of our province.

We also welcome the prompt and decisive intervention on allocation to health which will address the pressures that come as a result of migration into Gauteng. We believe investing in the public health system represents early stage of the National Health Insurance Scheme which will benefit the working class who cannot afford private care.

As the SACP, we deeply appreciate the allocation of money that will serve as compensation to the families of mental health patients who died in Non-Governmental Organisations after being moved from Life Esidimeni. This allocation shows our democratic government’s commitment to redress and heal the wounds caused by this tragedy.

The investment of R34 billion in infrastructure development is crucial as this is one of the strategic tools at government’s disposal to create jobs and assist the many working class families and young people who are at the coal face of the slow growth in the economy.

We believe MEC Creecy's budget gives hope to those who are still locked outside of the mainstream economy as it puts the necessary emphasis on growing the township economy.


Issued by the SACP Gauteng province