DA in Limpopo not enthused about Provincial Budget Speech

DA spokesperson Jacques Smalle.

The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Limpopo has expressed its discontentment about the 2025/2026 provincial budget tabled by Treasury MEC Kgabo Mahoai on Tuesday morning.

Jacques Smalle, Finance DA spokesperson said in a statement that MEC Mahoai likened the budget to the communal slaughtering of a cow, where a skilled butcher ensures every part is put to good use.

He said however that the flaw in this analogy is glaring: years of bad and reckless ANC governance have left the cow—Limpopo fiscus—emaciated, with little meat and no fat, and the butcher’s knives—Limpopo government’s delivery capacity—blunt and ineffective.

“While MEC Mahoai acknowledged the “difficult circumstances” we face—a Gordian knot of growing fiscal constraints and economic stagnation—he failed to admit that the root cause lies in decades of poor governance, corruption, and outdated, ideologically rigid policy choices made by his party, the ANC,” Smalle said.

“Although there is broad agreement within the Government of National Unity (GNU) that urgent, sustained economic growth must be a top priority, and that structural barriers to growth must be removed, the DA in Limpopo has little confidence in the ANC-led provincial government and its municipalities to deliver on this commitment.”

Smalle expressed his concern said the ANC-led administration continues to bail out failing state-owned entities; an additional R200 million has been allocated to Great North Transport, despite its continued operational collapse, a further R152 million is proposed for Gateway Airport Authority Limited (GAAL), despite a long-promised turnaround strategy that has yet to materialize.

He further said nearly R1 billion is earmarked for the Road Agency Limpopo (RAL)—an SOE that has overseen the deterioration of the provincial road network. “RAL will now focus only on new road development, while the Department of Public Works, Roads and Infrastructure, which itself has a poor project implementation record, will be responsible for maintenance. The Department of Education, despite receiving the largest budget allocation, is set to forfeit nearly R200 million in unspent conditional grant funding the current financial year,” said Smalle.

“R100 million is being allocated to revive the long-defunct Lebowakgomo Broiler Project—a 20-year-old initiative that has yet to produce a single chicken.And while COGHSTA is allocated nearly R8 billion, municipalities continue to preside over the collapse of our towns, undermining the well-being and prosperity of the communities they are meant to serve.”

He said however that the DA had hoped for a more clinical approach—one that culled excesses and deadweight, and created leaner, more efficient delivery mechanisms.

“This is particularly critical given that 98% of Limpopo’s income comes from equitable share and conditional grants, which are set to decline over the 2025 MTEF. We do, however, acknowledge the reformatory tone in the MEC’s speech, particularly his call for the increased use of Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs). We will watch closely to see whether provincial and local government structures take these calls seriously,” Smalle said.

“We need a larger, faster-growing economy to generate the fiscal space required to meet our developmental goals. However, the DA in Limpopo remains unconvinced that this ANC-led administration has the capacity, credibility, or political will to implement the structural reforms and governance improvements required. The cow is emaciated. The butcher’s knives are blunt. Limpopo deserves better governance.”