MEC delivers Western Cape provincial budget

By Tarryn Le Chat
6 March 2007

Minister of Finance and Tourism, Lynne Brown, delivered the Western Cape provincial budget today.

R24 million rand was allocated to school safety over the next three years. With this, 109 Bambanani volunteers will be sent to schools across the Western Cape that has become targets of gang violence and drug merchants.

(left: MEC Lynne Brown) The allocated amount on the health budget for the 2007 – 2008 period is over 7 billion rand. An increase in percentage is set to rise each year. The proposed amount for the year 2009 – 2010 is R8.4 billion. An additional cost for health professionals is R128 million for the next three years.

The agriculture sector is earmarked to receive R39 million, which will help to push the budget for structured agricultural training up to 22 percent to reach R29.5 million in the 2007 – 2008 period.

The South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) will be pushed forward in its expansion and improvement of social welfare services and its businesses. The department will receive R892 million in the 2007 – 2008 periods.

Early childhood development will receive R96 million, Brown announced.

Libraries in the province play an important role. The minister has allocated R91.5 million over the 2007 period. The money allocated will be to upgrade libraries, to stock books, recapitalise library facilities and to expand services.