WC infrastructure budget met with mixed reaction from opposition parties

CAPE TOWN - The Western Cape infrastructure budget has been met with mixed reactions from opposition political parties.

MEC Tertuis Simmers tabled an almost R10 billion budget for the 2025/26 financial year at the legislature on Monday.

The budget includes, among other things, an allocation of R2.2 billion for housing this financial year.

The Patriotic Alliance (PA)'s Bazil Petrus said that while they may have some concerns about the budget, they nonetheless support it.

"We can't roll out housing projects without supporting services like clinics, police stations, parks, schools. The PA supports a holistic human settlements approach."

However, the African National Congress (ANC)'s Pat Lekker referred to it as a budget of broken promises.

"Even worse, this government fails to spend R300 million meant for housing, money that could have been used to build 1,149 homes for our people."

The Good Party's Brett Herron said the budget feels more like a betrayal of those who need it most.

"R2.243 billion is allocated for human settlements infrastructure for 2025/2026 financial year but the track record of this government’s housing delivery is shocking, and it is the cause of the department losing grant funding... R500 million in 2023 and now R300 million in 2024."