Safety has been prioritised by the Western Cape in its 2020 budget, with R4-billion allocated for this purpose in the medium term.

Specifically, R1.1-billion will be used over the medium term to deploy more law enforcement officers to fight crime in the province.

Western Cape Finance and Economic Opportunities Minister David Maynier on Tuesday presented the province’s budget, stating that the province would implement an evidence-based and holistic transversal response to violence in the province with a sense of urgency.

The Western Cape Safety Plan unpacks various interventions planned for the province in the medium term, including enhanced capacity and effectiveness of policing and law enforcement, strengthened youth-at-risk referral pathways and child- and family-centred initiatives to reduce violence and increase social cohesion and the safety of public spaces.

The largest percentage of the province’s budget will go to frontline services, with R83-billion allocated to health, R79-billion to education and R8.4-billion to social development.

In aggregate, the 2020 Western Cape budget provides for total expenditure of R71.61-billion in 2020/21, R74.88-billion in 2021/22 and R78.3-billion in 2022/23.

In addition to the risks impacting on the national fiscus, including revenue shortfalls and further bailouts for State-owned enterprises, the Western Cape also faces provincial risks, which were taken into account when the 2020 budget was drawn up.

These risks include pressure arising from wage negotiations, population growth and rapid urbanisation, increased service demand pressures, energy supply crises and climate change and associated risks, such as drought.

As a response, the Western Cape government is implementing its 2019 to 2024 Provincial Strategic Plan, which involves building safe and cohesive communities, boosting the economy and job creation, empowering people, promoting mobility and spatial transformation, and driving innovation.

The 2020 budget is the “main policy tool” that will enable the delivery of the plan, Maynier said.

About 70% of the 2020 medium-term expenditure framework budget will be spent in the Cape metro, while the five districts in the province will account for the remainder.

The largest expenditure item for the Western Cape government remains personnel expenditure, accounting for 55%, or almost R40-billion of the total 2020/21 budget.

However, the province is planning to trim this amount by terminating performance bonus allocations in 2021/22 and rather finding practical, non-monetary performance rewards, limiting overtime spend through planning and implementing stricter protocols, managing leave pay-outs on a stricter basis and ensuring that personnel numbers are tailored to departmental goals.