Our view

The budget speeches have got off to a good start at the provincial legislature with the departments of education and agriculture, rural development, environment and land affairs tabling theirs last Thursday.

Conspicuous by its absence was the EFF and only the DA and BRA were present in the opposition parties’ desks.

The budget was set at about R16 billion with agriculture at about R1 billion.

What was of interest though, was that both the DA and BRA expressed support for the budgets, but mentioned some realistic pointers for them to work out.

There was a ruffling of feathers between the ANC and the DA but they reached consensus and the budget votes were approved.

My concern now lies with the other opposition party, the EFF who were not represented during the budget debate after they had been tabled.

What if they have reservations on the already tabled and debated budgets? Will we foresee a delay in implementation thereof because they are opposed to certain facts tabled?

One wonders how they choose to represent their constituencies when they absent themselves during such crucial moments when budgets are tabled and are set to be debated?

I presume the EFF should have been in attendance because I don’t see a point in them opposing those budgets during their year of implementation when they should have had their voice heard in the first instance.

I don’t think the electorate marvels at all the drama the EFF stages during parliamentary and legislature procedures when they miss out on such important occasions to represent their constituencies.

I wonder where they were because they did stage a march last week, representing security guards who had been fired recently one wonders at times if they are a union or a political party because they also recently staged another march on Mbombela concerning trade union matters.

I think they need to refocus on their priorities if they hope to be heard by the electorate.

Budgets are meant to deliver services to the communities, which also directly affects all parties’ constituencies.

Is it not better to give that full attention because if you lose out now, you won’t be able to stop anything from the ruling party for the entire financial year.

The long and short of it is that the two departments have tabled their budgets and it is all systems go for them to deliver.

Much as the ruling party has it their way, they won’t bungle things because the budgets are not about them, but the taxpayers, which is me and you.

Let them make an impact and prove all and sundry wrong and deliver the best to really change people’s lives for the better.