Cape Town - Cabinet has welcomed the Budget tabled by Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana, saying it demonstrated government’s commitment to fiscal discipline.
The budget was putting flesh to the announcements made by President Cyril Ramaphosa in his State of the Nation Address, said Cabinet spokesperson Phumla Williams on Thursday.
“The budget demonstrates government’s commitment to fiscal discipline and consistent economic management, and its cherished objective of funding critical priorities which provide socio-economic support to vulnerable South Africans. The far-reaching interventions announced in the 2022 National Budget Speech are geared towards creating a conducive environment for inclusive growth and sustainable development,” said Williams.
The delivery of the budget also comes after some of the political parties said it fell short on some of the key challenges to the economy.
Godongwana said they were on the right trajectory with an increase in the social wage, funding for the police to fight crime and addressing issues facing Eskom.
READ THE FULL BUDGET SPEECH
He said this was the time to get to the bottom in several areas, including health and education.
Cabinet also condemned incidents of racism at schools.
This followed racism allegations at Jan Viljoen High School on the West Rand in Gauteng where MEC for Education Panyaza Lesufi had to intervene.
Cabinet said any form of racism would not be tolerated in the country.
Williams said they call on the parents to put the interests of learners first.
“Cabinet condemned recent disturbing incidents of racism in some schools in the country, which are inconsistent with the values enshrined in our world-acclaimed Constitution of the Republic of South Africa of 1996. Cabinet proclaimed that racism will not be tolerated in our democratic society that is still healing from the scars of apartheid. It urged all schools to tackle racism by exposing it whenever it rears its ugly head so that it can be dealt with speedily,” said Williams.
Political Bureau