Winde says he'll continue to challenge budget allocated to Western Cape amid population growth
The Democratic Alliance (DA)-led government says 150,000 new residents are settling in the province every year, making it the province with the third largest population of almost 7.5 million.
Western Cape Premier Alan Winde delivered his State of the Province Address in Paarl on 19 February 2024. Picture: @WCProvParl/X
CAPE TOWN - Western Cape Premier Alan Winde says he will continue to challenge the budget allocated to the province, in light of its growing population.
The Democratic Alliance (DA)-led government says 150,000 new residents are settling in the province every year, making it the province with the third largest population of almost 7.5 million.
However, delivering his opening of Parliament address on Wednesday, Winde said the province only receives the fifth largest budget.
In his second term, Winde said there's still a lot of work to be done to make the Western Cape a thriving province.
He said under the new Government of National Unity (GNU) there’s a new sense of optimism to address problems.
But he won’t stop challenging the national government where he believes it’s not giving the province what’s due to it.
“We won’t just do this for the Western Cape, we will do this alongside Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal, because they too are being prejudiced by this process. We must make sure they too get their fair share.”
Winde said the growing population is impacting the provision of social services.
“It is anticipated that our population will reach 10 million citizens by 2040. This population growth comes with significant challenges, it places increased pressure on every single one of us in this government.”
Nevertheless, the premier believes his government has built a solid foundation over the past five years for good service delivery, despite the many challenges.