DA refuses to rubber stamp Adjustment Appropriation Bill for ANC to loot public money

30 November 2016

Honourable Speaker, there are several reasons why the Democratic Alliance is opposing the Adjustment Appropriation Bill.

In the North West it has become a norm for the ANC-led government to surrender amounts of at least R41 million to the National Treasury due to unspent conditional grants. In a poverty stricken province, it is an insult to return such money without utilising it for its purpose of uplifting the poor and providing social relief.

The DA strongly believes that this is one of the reasons that the ANC is failing to deliver services to the people of this province. And yet the Provincial Government deems it necessary to plan on purchasing an extravagant private jet for Premier Supra Mahumapelo.

Speaker, we welcome the Department of Education and Sports Development’s request to refurbish dilapidated school infrastructures in the province. The DA has been advocating that more should be done to ensure that our children are taught in an environment that is safe and conducive to learning.

The DA condemns the excessive annual expenditure of R8 million that has been wasted on a one day extravagant event labelled the Maize Cup. This event only benefits the few whilst we have children in Thari Primary School who lack sporting equipment and trained instructors.

Let it also been known that today marks the deadline for the implementation of Minimum Norms and Standards for public schools infrastructure. The ANC has failed dismally to meet this deadline and to swiftly deal with school infrastructure backlogs.

Speaker, I would like to bring it to your attention that the Department of Tourism will have an unspent budget for 2016/17 allocated budget. This is while the Small, Medium & Micro Enterprise Businesses (SMMEs) industry continues to struggle to access funding.

This is a betrayal of the department’s mission to lead and grow a dynamic, sustainable, diversified and vibrant tourism sector in the province.

Speaker, the province continues to render the EPWP a social grant to its beneficiaries. The purpose of the programme is to provide income relief by providing temporary work for the unemployed, when people finish this programme they should have skills that they can use to sustain themselves further.

The ANC has failed to restructure this programme to enhance people’s skills and benefit all people. It is a well-known fact that this programme continues to benefit ANC-card carrying members.

The Department of Health will receive the biggest rollover. This is a department that has proven itself to be one of the worst planners.

Money is wasted on malpractice claims, cell phones and baby formulas that expires before it is distributed to beneficiaries. Speaker, we have clinics that go for weeks without medicine and surgical equipment.

Speaker, based on the presentation made the DA believes it is time we implement a turnaround strategy to deal with the rot and mismanagement in these departments.

Premier Mahumapelo promised to submit a list of projects on rollovers and to date we have not received this list.

Speaker, the DA refuses to rubber stamp attempts by the ANC to continue with their rampant looting of public funds, wasteful expenditure while they fail to deliver basic services to the people of North West.

I thank you.

Issued by Joe McGluwa, DA NW Leader, 30 November 2016