The Cape Independence Advocacy Group (CIAG) asserts that Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana’s recent Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement (MTBPS) reinforces the urgent need for an independent Western Cape.
The CIAG highlights that national budget constraints are driving severe cuts, threatening the province’s future, particularly in education, where 2,400 teaching positions are at risk due to budget cuts—a crisis left unaddressed in Godongwana’s speech.
The MTBPS also outlined a steep national debt trajectory projected to exceed R6 trillion by 2025/26, absorbing nearly a quarter of every Rand in revenue just to service debt. CIAG argues that these national financial burdens restrict the Western Cape’s ability to implement effective local solutions for issues like education, infrastructure, and energy stability.
"Minister Godongwana’s budget confirms the need for the Western Cape to be self-governing, enabling us to address local issues without the constraints of a debt-ridden national government," stated Dr. Joan Swart, executive member of the CIAG. "Our schools, energy systems, and infrastructure should not be collateral for national inefficiencies. An independent Western Cape would empower us to protect teacher jobs, invest in local solutions, and build a secure future."
CIAG asserts that without the fiscal autonomy to prioritize regional needs, critical areas like education will suffer further, ultimately impacting communities. Independence, they contend, would empower the Western Cape to secure the resources required for its unique economic and social landscape.
