Budget Address by Honourable Ravigasen Ranganathan Pillay MPL, MEC for Finance on tabling of the 2020/21 Special Adjustments Budget in the Provincial Legislature
1. Introduction
I dedicate this Budget Speech to the memory of the late Honourable Njabulo Ricardo Mthembu, a member of this august House, Chairperson of the COGTA Portfolio Committee, and a leader and spokesperson of the African National Congress in KwaZulu-Natal. I salute his contribution to the cause of our people.
Hopefully, all of us will still be here many years later to talk about our experience during Covid-19 – whether we became ill ourselves or lost family, friends, comrades. But most of all, I hope we will be able to speak of the contribution we made in the fight against the virus – a fight to save our people, medically, socially and economically.
What did we do! What contribution we made!
2. Comprehensive COVID-19 response
On 3 June 2020 I presented the Vote 6 budget and reported as follows:
Informed by international best practice and based on advice from top scientists, epidemiologists and public health specialists, this response encompasses a bouquet of interventions which can be categorised into four pillars, namely:
- Health/Medical Interventions
- Provision of support to the vulnerable
- Compliance with National Disaster Regulations
- Economic Relief and Recovery
Each of these pillars represents a comprehensive programme of work. Each contains significant budgetary implications.
2.1 National Covid-19 Fiscal Relief Package
The R500 billion Covid-19 relief programme has been allocated nationally as follows:
|
|
2020/21 R/Million |
|
Credit Guarantee Scheme |
R 200,000 |
|
SME and Informal Business Support, Job Creation and Protection |
R 100,000 |
|
Measures for Income Support [Including further tax deferrals, SDL holiday and Employment Tax Incentive Extension] |
R 70,000 |
|
Support to vulnerable households for 6 months |
R 50,000 |
|
Wage Protection [UIF] |
R 40,000 |
|
Health and other frontline services |
R 20,000 |
|
Support to Municipalities |
R 20,000 |
|
Total National Covid-19 Fiscal Relief Package |
R 500,000 |
Source: National Treasury
We continue to engage with all organs of state mandated to implement the above relief programme. We will ensure that KwaZulu-Natal gets its fair share through each instrument of delivery. Full speech [PDF]
