DA demands additional budget for Western Cape in wake of census data
11 October 2023
Yesterday saw the release of South Africa's landmark 2022 census - the most complete survey of South Africa's population in more than a decade. The results indicate a boom in population within the Western Cape's borders - a fact which has profound implications for governance and fiscal stability in the province.
The 2022 census indicates that the Western Cape's population has grown from 5.8 to 7.4 million, raising the province from the 5th to the 3rd most populated in South Africa. While South Africa's national population has grown by roughly 19.2% since 2011, the Western Cape's population has grown by roughly 27.6% over the same period. All this despite the fact that The Western Cape's population may have been undercounted by some 35% according to StatsSA. The implication of this data confirms what has long been known in the Western Cape: that millions have fled failed-state conditions created by the ANC, and have come to the Western Cape in search of a better life.
The DA-led Western Cape Government has continued to provide the best governance in South Africa for 15 years, but it has long done so while being drastically shortchanged on budget. National Treasury calculates its budget allocations to the Provinces using population figures that have long been out of date, and the Western Cape's exceptional population growth has long resulted in it being shortchanged in the Provincial Equitable Share formula. The Western Cape has essentially become a victim of its own success.
But with updated census data which reflects the millions that have come to the Western Cape in search of a better life, the time has come to pay the Western Cape what it is owed. With a fair and equitable allocation of funding based on up-to-date census data, the Western Cape Government will be able to further enhance the exceptional standard of service delivery, economic growth and hob creation that have drawn millions here.
The DA demands that the 2022 census data be put to use in the upcoming Adjustment Budget allocations, so that the residents of the Western Cape can finally get their due.
Issued by Christopher Fry, DA Western Cape Spokesperson on Premier and Constitutional Matters, 11 October 2023
