Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana made no adjustments for the health sector in his Medium Term Budget Policy Statement, leaving activists and trade unions concerned about what the sector will face in the new year.
“The lack of adjustments to the health sector ignores provinces. Almost every province has a shortfall in salaries. And the way they are handling it is by aggressively accruing expenses. There’s already pressure on goods and services – especially medicine,” warns Russell Rensburg, director of the Rural Health Advocacy Project.
Godongwana has warned that tax collection for the 2024/25 financial year is expected to be lower than estimated in February. Over the next two years, the main budget revenue estimates have been lowered by R31.2 billion. In his speech, Godongwana says that in the absence of faster growth and in the face of external risks, tax revenue will remain under pressure, forcing the government to make difficult decisions on where to spend. ….more
