Thank you Hon Premier for a progressive budget speech.

I, like others in academia, support your focus on monitoring and evaluation, protection of Human Rights and public service transformation, because too many research studies undertaken show weakness in governance.

A number of concerns however, is the lack of movement of the Ethekwini Metro in constructing and unveiling the monument to commemorate the 150 years relating to the arrival of Indians. This is a huge insult to the Indian community and the defaulting bodies must be brought to book.

The amalgamation of AMAFA in the OTP will be cost-effective and strategic move which most probably will see more tourism activities strengthened but this must be monitored by the committee.

The surveys of service satisfaction of clients of various departments is important, Hon. Premier, but harmonisation efforts needs more than these statistics. We are a developing country with many needs and this means reliable statistics with strong indicators pf poverty, inequality, disease burden, weak infrastructure and therefore a review of all MDG indicators and UN and WHO or Unicef indicators should be either adopted of adapted, by affected departments and the M&E unit or QPR must coordinate this.

Therefore, we need to address the Management Information Systems because, we will require donor funding, if we want for eg. NHI to be properly implemented, as well as, other NDP 2030 objectives realised.

With this, the MF supports this budget.

Thank you.

Shameen Thakur-Rajbansi

MPL KZN Legislature

Minority Front