Budget Vote Debates 2023: Snippets You Need to Know

All superior courts have generators. Minister Ronald Lamola says 18 superior courts – which include the SCA, High Courts and the Constitutional Court – have had generators installed to mitigate load shedding. However, the DA’s Glynnis Breytenbach said Lamola had ‘failed dismally’ in combating load shedding. ‘Too many courts ... are unable to function for a full court day, or sometimes at all. Particularly hard hit in this regard are the courts in smaller towns and centres, where the majority of South Africans must go to access justice.’

“A fully transformed judiciary is a constitutional imperative”, says Deputy Minister Jeffery. Deputy Ministry Jeffry said the new appointments of the regional magistrates will further enhance diversity in our courts in terms of both race and gender, with 57% of the appointments being women and 79% being Black. Of the new appointments, 28% are Black males, 14% are White males, 50% are Black females and 7% White females.

The main opposition says the government is unable to address the multiple failures of the South African public health system. According to the DA, the NHI will not be the alpha and omega quick fix to the myriad of problems faced in the public health system. The health environment is on life support and needs urgent intervention in order to supply quality universal health care to the citizens of this country.

Farmers are set to receive funding worth R2.5 billion. A R2.5bn ‘agro-energy fund’ will be set up at the Land Bank, said Agriculture Minister Thoko Didiza. She told MPs that her idea for the fund was one of the outcomes from a task team she established earlier in 2023 to find solutions to mitigate against the effect of energy cuts on the farming sector

Long queues, no payments, refusal to reply, rude officials. According to the DA Shadow Deputy Minister of Employment and Labour, all South Africans continue to experience the dysfunctionality of the Department of Employment and Labour.

An adaptive policy environment is crucial in the ever-changing landscape of human settlements. Minister Kubayi presented to Parliament that from 1 April 2023, all subsidised houses that are being built will be provided with solar panels, and rainwater harvesting devices especially in rural communities. For persons with disabilities, the houses will be fitted with burglar bars to improve security.

Find out more about Budget Vote Debates and Read all the Speeches here