Over the next three years in the Western Cape, money will be allocated to social services, school feeding programmes and equipment such as power packs, said Western Cape MEC of Finance and Economic Opportunities, Mireille Wenger.

Wenger delivered her 2023/24 “budget of action” in the provincial legislature’s chambers in Cape Town on Tuesday. She described the budget as one that “boldly” sought to remove obstacles standing in the way of “creating a more prosperous future that our children deserve”.

She also touched on Premier Alan Winde’s announcement of R1-billion for the province’s energy response.

Read more in Daily Maverick: “Alan Winde highlights three key themes – energy, mobility, and policing – in between the heckling”

On Tuesday, Wenger said the allocation would be used to ramp up energy resilience and decrease dependence on Eskom.

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R598.47-million had been allocated upfront to reduce the impact of load shedding, boost the green economy, set up a pipeline of green energy projects and scale-up support to municipalities to help them get more power into the grid, said Wenger.

“A further R501.52-million is earmarked for energy projects in the pipeline and is a critical element of our ability to respond in an agile and flexible way,” she said. 

Unpacking the provincial government’s response to the power crisis, Wenger said the Premier’s department had been allocated R95.9-million and would coordinate and drive strategic components of the Western Cape Energy Resilience Programme. 

“This includes emergency power packs for vulnerable households and leading the preparation of the Western Cape’s Integrated Resource Plan, the municipal pooled buying project, and a demand-side management programme,” she explained.

IPP procurement

The new Department of Infrastructure was allocated R148.7-million of the energy budget to drive municipal independent power producer procurement, which included a project preparation facility, grid infrastructure development work, and exploring gas power. 

The Department of Economic Development and Tourism will receive, over the medium term, R55.5-million to support small, medium and micro enterprises to implement alternative energy supply systems.

Over the medium term, R57.5-million is allocated to the Department of Local Government to help “municipalities pilot renewable energy solutions, which will include the provision of specialists to find the best-fit renewable energy options, as well as the creation of municipal energy master plans”.

The province will also publish a Procurement Disclosure Report on Energy Procurement, an undertaking similar to the Covid-19 procurement disclosures.

Infrastructure projects

On infrastructure over the medium term, Wenger said R32.57-billion would be spent on infrastructure projects – this included R13-billion to deliver and maintain transport infrastructure and R7.76-billion for housing opportunities.

Education was allocated R7.44-billion to build more schools and classrooms, including increasing access for children with special educational needs.

R3.86-billion was allocated to projects at clinics, hospitals and colleges. 

Wenger said R1.58-billion would be spent on improving access to basic services like water and sanitation in informal settlements. 

Safety spending

On safety, Wenger said that in an effort to make the province safer over the next three years, R2.26-billion would be spent to “make sure that our provincial policing functions have the funding they need to be effective, and to work with and build up community-based safety partnerships” and oversight of the police. 

R1-billion was allocated to continue the Law Enforcement Advancement Plan, to keep 1,200 boots on the ground in crime hotspot areas. 

School feeding

On school nutrition, Wenger said the province would spend an additional R61.60-million in 2023/24; R63.89-million in 2024/25, and R67.25-million in 2025/26 on the school feeding programme that provided nutritious meals to 485,000 learners daily.

“This will make sure that, despite the steep increase in the cost of food, children will still have quality nutritional and calorific value in the food provided in these programmes,” said Wenger.

Social work, GBV and health services

“This month we celebrate the month of the social worker and the immeasurable contribution they make to society and to building a better future,” she said, confirming that 247 additional social workers, auxiliary social workers, supervisors and administrative support staff had been appointed to bolster the welfare and child protection systems. 

Over the medium term, the budget will allocate R238.36-million to fund victim support programmes, which includes an additional R91.92-million to expand gender-based violence services such as victim empowerment programmes, shelters for victims of GBV and psychosocial support services, said Wenger. 

In addition, R239.43-million had been allocated to strengthen mental health services, “including the provision of a coordinated and targeted approach to ensure support to the most vulnerable and those at risk”.

In conclusion, Wenger said she was ready to roll up her sleeves and work to build a better future “for all the sons and daughters across this province and this wondrous country… only through action – through the fierce urgency of now – can we deliver change and a future full of hope.” DM