Mec Ivan Meyer: Western Cape Provincial Budget Speech 2018/19

Honourable Speaker and Deputy Speaker

Honourable Premier and Cabinet Colleagues

Honourable Leader of the Official Opposition

Honourable Leaders of Opposition Parties

Honourable Members of the Western Cape Legislature

Executive Mayors and Executive Deputy Mayors

Speakers and Councillors

Senior officials of the Western Cape Government

Leaders of the Business Community

Citizens of the Western Cape

Ladies and gentlemen

Madam Speaker, the 2018 Budget focuses on budgeting for the people, recognising that economic growth and development is critical to improve living standards and socio-economic conditions and therefore the pursuit thereof remains a top priority of this Government.

Speaker, sedert die Minister van Finansies sy hoofbegroting in die Parlement ter tafel gelê het op 23 Februarie 2018, het ons nou weer 'n nuwe Minister by die Nasionale Tesourie.

Ek verwelkom die terugkeer van Minister Nene by die Nasionale Tesourie.

Minister Nene sal eers die Nasionale Tesourie moet skoonmaak want die agente van staatskaping is deur sy voorganger, Minister Gigaba, in die Nasionale Tesourie ontplooi. Ongelukkig het die Gupta dogmas aspekte van die Nasionale Begroting vertroebel en herbesinning is noodsaaklik as ons uit 'n begrotingsperspektief 'n nuwe begin wil maak. Dit sluit in die bestuur van die uitgawe kant van die Begroting en of die verhoging in BTW werklik noodsaaklik was gegewe die fiskale konteks.

It is my intention to write to Minister Nene to request him to restore the credibility and integrity of the National Treasury as the supreme fiscal authority in South Africa.

Minister Gigaba's arrival at the National Treasury, initiated the stripping of the institution's fiscal powers and responsibilities as provided for in the Constitution of South Africa and the Public Finance Management Act.

Former President Zuma and former Finance Minister Gigaba captured the National Treasury through their Mandate Paper.

I will formally request Minister Nene to withdraw the mandate paper and restore the institutional integrity of the entire fiscal framework.

Global Economic Outlook

Madam Speaker, global economic growth expanded by 3.7 per cent in 2017 and is forecasted to increase further to 3.9 per cent in 2018 due to an acceleration in growth in emerging economies.

Growth in advanced economies accelerated from 1.7 per cent to 2.3 per cent, while growth in emerging economies rose from 4.4 per cent to 4.7 per cent in 2017.

Over the medium term, economic growth in advanced economies is expected to remain unchanged at 2.3 per cent in 2018 before slowing marginally to 2.2 per cent in 2019.

In emerging markets, Chinese growth is forecast to remain strong at 6.6 per cent in 2018 and 6.4 per cent in 2019.

India's economic growth rate is expected to outpace China's at 7.4 per cent in 2018 and 7.8 per cent in 2019. Following close, Indonesia's economy is forecast to expand by 5.3 per cent in 2018 and further expand by 5.5 per cent in 2019.

In sub-Saharan Africa, growth is expected to pick up further and reach 3.3 per cent in 2018 and 3.5 per cent in 2019 partly due to the continued economic recovery in Nigeria from the 2016 recession.

Speaker, Statistics SA announced earlier today that South Africa's GDP growth in 2017 is 1.3 per cent.

Over the medium term, growth is forecast to recover and accelerate to 1.4 per cent in 2018 and further accelerate to 1.9 per cent in 2019.

Growth in the Western Cape is expected to have remained largely flat in 2017, in contrast to a projected growth acceleration for the national economy.

The performance of the Western Cape is largely due to developments in the agricultural sector.

A number of factors weighed on agricultural output in the region, such as the continued drought and ensuing water crisis, and a higher incidence of Avian flu.

The impact of the Drought in the agricultural sector

The impact of the drought on the Western Cape economy is higher than previously anticipated.

A whole new water economy is emerging out of this crisis and we need to use lots of innovation in agriculture to ensure that the crisis enables us to remain competitive.

Farmers are innovative at best.

Madam Speaker, agriculture and agri-processing contribute a combined R54 billion to the provincial gross value added - a measure of all the goods and services produced by a sector.

Of all the province's exports, 52 per cent comes from the agriculture and agri‑processing sectors.

A Report by the Department of Agriculture in collaboration with the Bureau for Food and Agricultural Policy estimates that the impact of the drought equates to an average production decline of about 20 per cent.

The agriculture sector in the province has on average had to cut its water use by 60 per cent, and some areas have already drawn down their entire water allocation.

The impact of the drought is already evident in record wheat production losses.

Export volumes of agricultural products from the province are expected to decline between 13 per cent and 20 per cent this year.

The impact of Avian flu on poultry farmers in the province has been about R800 million.

Furthermore, thunderstorms and hail recently destroyed around 200 000 cartons of late-season plums.

Employment

The most recent job numbers from Statistics South Africa, released in mid‑February, show employment numbers for the fourth quarter of 2017 and reveal the major impact of the drought on farmworker employment in the Western Cape.

The combined average agricultural employment for the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th quarters of 2016 compared to that of 2017 was a decline of 31 000 jobs.

Looking at actual employment numbers and comparing the average employment numbers per quarter of 2015 and 2016, to that of 2017, the drop is even more severe.

Despite this, the Western Cape has reported the lowest unemployment rate of 19 per cent in the country.

The Western Cape Fiscal Strategy

Madam Speaker, fiscal consolidation, fiscal discipline and fiscal sustainability continue to underpin the Western Cape 2018 Budget.

Several fiscal and service delivery risks remain, such as the current drought and the water crisis; growing demand for provincial government services; reductions to departmental budget baselines; increase in the Value Added Tax rate, and an uncertain outcome of the wage negotiations.

Guided by the Western Cape Fiscal Strategy and fiscal and budget policy principles, the fiscal response centres on maintaining the stability and sustainability of provincial fiscal framework, whilst mitigating and managing identified risks to ensure delivery on the objectives of the 2014 ‑ 2019 Provincial Strategic Plan.

Responding to the Risks

As a first step towards ensuring the sustainability of the provincial fiscal framework and provide for unforeseen and unavoidable events, the Province has protected the provision for reserves from the previous MTEF over the new MTEF.

Amounts of R328.863 million in 2018/19, R446.166 million in 2019/20, and R470.983 million in 2020/21 are provided for in the Fiscal Stabilisation Reserve to deal with potential volatility in the fiscal framework relating to national transfers including the provincial equitable share and conditional grants.

Funding held in reserve for Unforeseen and Unavoidable expenditure amounts to R187.148 million in 2018/19, R197.628 million in 2019/20 and R208.498 million in 2020/21.

Amounts to deal with service load pressures of R362.065 million is provided in 2018/19, R474.156 million in 2019/20 and R489.686 million in 2020/21 is provided to deal with increased service load demands to enable the Western Cape Government to deliver on its frontline services mandate, particularly in Health, Education and Social Development.

Second, during the technical assessments of the budgets of the Ministries of Education, Health and Social Development, it became clear that any further cuts to their budgets would pose service delivery risks to our people.

This budget for people is a direct response to the pleas from these Ministers to protect the people, the citizens of the Western Cape.

Allocations have therefore been made to sustain current services over the MTEF, particularly in key frontline services in Education, Health and Social Development.

I am therefore pleased to announce Madam Speaker, that R362.065 million is provided in 2018/19, R474.156 million in 2019/20 and R489.686 million in 2020/21 to manage increased service load pressures and enable the Western Cape Government to deliver on its frontline services mandate, particularly in Health, Education and Social Development.

Third, provision has been made toward the response to mitigating and managing key risks related the drought as well as the potential negative outcome of salary negotiations.

Interventions in this regard include maintaining the personnel expenditure ceilings as a mechanism to manage employee headcounts and avoid crowding out of other expenditure.

The water crisis

The worst drought in decades, and ensuing water crisis threatens not only the economic productivity of the Province, but also the socio‑economic development of the people. To mitigate the impact of the water crisis on strategic government services and priorities, the Western Cape Provincial Government established a Joint Operations Centre for the Provincial Disaster Management Centre to coordinate the provincial response.

During the 2017 Adjusted Estimates, R165.331 million was allocated for the 2017/18 and R157.031 million for the 2018/19 financial years towards drought response initiatives. These allocations are utilised for, amongst others, water resource infrastructure projects at schools, boreholes for health and social development facilities, additional water saving measures such as rain water tanks, gutters and down pipes as part of housing projects, drought relief, fodder for research herds, the drought communication campaign and boreholes to provide drinking water to rural communities. Madam Speaker, I am pleased to...