Cape Town — Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana has defended the 2025 Budget and said part of the challenges he faced when he tabled the budget was the poor state of social services in poorer communities.
Godogwana was speaking during a joint meeting with four parliamentary committees to deal with finances and appropriations and he said the Budget was aimed at addressing the needs of the people, IOL reported.
“Those professional positions could not be free. We’re going to another year where we should be employing new, more professionals. What this Budget is attempting is to grapple with that question,” he said.
He said it was not just about employment but also about providing a crucial service to communities in need. He said the Health budget’s needs had accrued by R21 billion to address the issues.
#Budget2025 | BUDGET SPEECH HIGHLIGHTS: HEALTH AND EDUCATION
During the budget speech on Wednesday (12 March 2025), the Minister of Finance, Enoch Godongwana, made several proposals to enhance inclusive economic growth and to further repair and strengthen state capacity to… pic.twitter.com/GTPyqteq9p
— South African Government (@GovernmentZA) March 14, 2025
She called for greater collaboration between the public and private healthcare sectors and said healthcare should be prioritised over politics. Despite the criticisms, she also pointed out positives.
“The overall sentiment from my side might be cautiously positive. The government’s commitment to increase health expenditure demonstrates at least a recognition of the sector’s critical needs, especially in retaining the healthcare personnel and ensuring the availability of medicines,” she said.
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Compiled by Matthew Petersen