Makhanda has no permanent water provision, crumbling roads and poor sanitation. The government infrastructure grant should be spent on fixing these issues.
The order by National Treasury has also thrown the finances of the municipality into even more disarray than usual, as they do not have the cash reserves to comply. This raises the likelihood of the money being taken from the municipality’s equitable share transfer, which will impact their abil.
Civil society organisations with a focus on education, health and social grants were less than enamoured with the 2023 Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement.