“Even though the DNA backlog in the country – reportedly – increased by 80 000 instead of declining, the government does not see it as embarrassing enough to up the budget,” said Ian Cameron, director of community safety at Action Society. “The government is very outspoken about acting against gender-based violence, but their priorities change when it comes to practically acting against it.”
The Minister of Finance, Enoch Godongwana, today presented the Medium Term Budget Policy Statement (MTBPS) or mini-Budget as it is also known, in Parliament. He said: “…crime is a safety, economic, and social issue. A safe environment is important for full participation in economic and social life. This makes fighting crime a key pillar of enhancing economic growth…”.
Clearly, the Minister of Police, Bheki Cele, cannot properly prioritise or manage his department’s budget. For example, Treasury estimated the Police Services expenditure for 2022/23 at R110,2 billion. However, the Ministry of Police allocated its expenditure for VIP Protection Services for the 2022/23 term at more than R1,7 billion. On the other hand, its estimated expenditure for the NFSL was only R1,4 billion. Minister Godongwana rightly said today about trade-offs: balancing the need to address one priority over another.