Premier Alan Winde has expressed disappointment with President Cyril Ramaphosa’s failure to include the issue of the looming fiscal crisis in the 2023 Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) on the agenda of the President’s Coordinating Council (PCC) meeting on 1 September.
The Premier had recently penned a letter to President Ramaphosa, urging him to prioritise this nationally significant matter during the PCC meeting.
Although the Presidency acknowledged receipt of the letter, it did not heed the Premier’s request to include the matter on the agenda.
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Frustrated by the lack of action, Premier Winde declared, ‘If President Ramaphosa will not take the initiative by raising this issue at his PCC, then I will do so.’
He emphasised the responsibility of public representatives to exhibit leadership and confront these challenges, regardless of their severity, in order to find viable solutions.
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‘I am deeply concerned,’ said Premier Winde, adding, ‘This is an issue that affects all provinces and the whole government. Critically, these anticipated fiscal cuts will hit frontline government services the hardest, such as education, health care and social development. It is the most vulnerable in society who will feel the impact most acutely.’
The PCC serves as a crucial platform for consultation, providing an opportunity for the president to engage openly and transparently with premiers and other key officials regarding the looming fiscal crisis.
This is essential to enabling the Western Cape Government (WCG) and other provincial administrations to make informed plans to address the issue effectively.
Premier Winde underscored that this fiscal crisis was exacerbated by the conclusion of the public service wage settlement for 2023/24 and 2024/25, which lacked the necessary funding to sustain the agreement.
He concluded, ‘The national government has placed provinces in this position, and, therefore, it is President Ramaphosa and his Finance Minister who should be prioritising this pressing matter. This issue cannot be ignored or downplayed in much the same way the national government has dealt with the energy crisis.’
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