Godongwana’s adjusted budget ‘not a lifeline, but manipulation’

With anxiety mounting over the fate of security departments and state-owned enterprises, Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana’s medium-term budget policy statement (MTBPS) did not ease the tension, with experts noting the adjusted budget was not a lifeline, but manipulation.

Despite the likes of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) and South African Police Service (Saps) receiving an adjusted budget, they still did not get much-needed relief from government.

‘Disappointing’

Delivering the speech at the City Hall in Cape Town yesterday, Godongwana said Saps, SANDF, the Financial Intelligence Centre, the department of home affairs and the Border Management Authority have all received additional allocations from the Criminal Asset Recovery Account as part of providing a safe environment.

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“Among these efforts and emanating from the presidential project on illicit mining strategy, a recommendation has been made for Cabinet to consider using money from the fund to combat illegal mining,” he said.

However, African Defence Review director Darren Olivier said it was disappointing Godongwana’s speech did not mention the SANDF at all, except in relation to the use of contingency funds to counter illegal mining.

“The adjusted budget is not what we’d hoped for. While the SANDF will receive an additional R1.343 billion, that’s split between increased wages imposed on the department by the 2023-24 wage agreement,” he said.

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“We need a top-to-bottom rethink of the SANDF’s purpose, mandate, strategy and level of funding. Continuing on the current path will result in disastrous outcomes.”

Godongwana ‘aware of crime threat’

Dr Johan Burger, a senior researcher and policing expert at the Institute for Security Studies, commended the minister and said it looked as though he was aware of the crime threat the country is faced with. He said in 2020 and 2021, the police were unable to recruit and train new police members.

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“More than a decade ago, there were about 154 000 trained police officials in this country but now we are down to under 140 000,” he said.

Burger said recruitments would still be down, especially with National Treasury noting its pressure, and SA would continue to have a gap between the number of police members and the population.

– reitumetsem@citizen.co.za