Growth is the key to dignity, safety, and prosperity
Speech by Deidré Baartman
Western Cape Minister of Finance
Second Reading Debate on the Adjustment Estimates, 2025/26
Opening Remarks
Western Cape Provincial Parliament
Cape Town
11 December 2025
“Growth is the key to dignity, safety, and prosperity”
Honourable Speaker and Deputy Speaker
Honourable Premier and Cabinet Colleagues
Members of the Western Cape Provincial Parliament
People of the Western Cape
- INTRODUCTION
When I tabled the Medium Term Budget Policy Statement last week, I indicated that the Western Cape is done with merely holding the line. We have laid the foundations, we have put the scaffolding in place and now we are ‘Scaling for Growth’.
Our theme speaks to the urgency of accelerating delivery in a province where population growth is outpacing economic gains. Growth is the engine that powers jobs, safety, and dignity.
The Provincial Strategic Plan remains our compass with Growth and Jobs as our apex priority. Our policy priorities are Growth for Jobs, Safety, an Educated, Healthy and Caring Society, and Innovation, Culture and Governance. This shapes every decision in this 2025/26 Adjustment Budget. These priorities mean that roads and homes are being built, classrooms are being opened, hospitals are being upgraded, and communities are being made safer.
- ADJUSTMENT ESTIMATES
Despite fiscal constraints and a compressed spending window, we are adding R1.739 billion to the Adjustment Budget to strengthen service delivery. This includes R1.070 billion from national transfers and R669 million in provincial funding, with a further R431 million provisionally allocated for the 2026 Budget.
Speaker,
I want to emphasise that no department's budget has been cut.
In response to the late national budget process and to protect service delivery in our province, the Western Cape Government will realign R983.384 million from the 2025/26 financial year to the 2026 Medium Term Expenditure Framework.
This decision was necessary because the national budget process delayed transfers to provinces, leaving an extremely compressed spending window. Which simply was not feasible. By realigning funds instead of cutting budgets, we give departments the opportunity to prepare for accelerated delivery.
It is a disciplined, and prudent approach that safeguards services while maintaining fiscal sustainability.
And while we take this responsible step, we are also making targeted investments where they matter most.
Key allocations in the Adjustment Budget include:
- R573.6 million for Health to stabilise in-year pressures. A further R139.157 million is provisionally allocated for 2026/27 due to recruitment timelines, which will reflect in the 2026 Budget.
- R292.1 million provisionally allocated to Education for educator compensation in 2026/27, also linked to recruitment timelines, which will reflect in the 2026 Budget.
- R9 million to Police Oversight and Community Safety for the Mitchells’ Plein Safety and Development Programme, a new pilot to strengthen crime prevention in high-risk areas.
- R3.5 million to Cultural Affairs and Sport for programmes that support youth development and healthier lifestyles through sports and cultural activities as part of violence prevention.
- R295 million for Infrastructure, including R114 million for road infrastructure and R181 million to accelerate housing delivery.
- R10 million to Mobility for differently abled mobility.
- R21 million for Social Development for psychosocial support, older persons’ care, and digital systems.
- CONCLUSION
Speaker, this Adjustment Budget signals that even in a constrained fiscal environment, we are making the necessary investment to not only future proof our province but provide services that our communities can feel and see.
When you look at the story of the Western Cape, it tells a story of growth and momentum, and in order to provide increased services for our increasing population, we need to scale that growth and momentum exponentially.
While the national economy struggles at 0.7 per cent growth, the Western Cape is projected at 1.2 per cent, driven by agriculture, finance, and tourism. Unemployment nationally sits at 31.9 per cent; in our province unemployment is the lowest in the country, at 19.7 per cent. Our province has further made gains in our Gini-Coefficient, Human Development Index, Labour Absorption, and Learner Retention metrics.
This proves that when you make the right choices, you can create your own growth.
From Mitchells Plain to Beaufort West, this budget turns fiscal discipline into tangible delivery that makes an impact on our people’s lives.
We are scaling for growth because growth is the only sustainable pathway to dignity, safety, and prosperity for the residents of the Western Cape.
Speaker, I thank you.