Opposition parties have rejected Gauteng’s R179.2bn budget for 2026/27, which grew by R3.6bn from the previous financial year, saying it focuses on the wrong priorities.
Finance & economic development MEC Lebogang Maile, in tabling the budget in Joburg on Tuesday, said over the 2026 medium-term expenditure framework (MTEF), the provincial government’s budget would amount to R549.3bn, “of which R179.2bn, R182.4bn and R188.2bn are respectively allocated to the 2026/27, 2027/28 and 2028/29 financial years”.
Gauteng, the country’s economic hub, contributing about 33% to national GDP and more than 10% of the total GDP of Sub-Saharan Africa, is dogged by crumbling roads as well as energy and water infrastructure, corruption, maladministration, poor service delivery, violent crime, hijacked buildings, unemployment, illegal immigration and general lawlessness.
Maile said just under R90bn of the 2026 medium-term framework allocation comprised conditional grants, while anticipated own revenue amounted to R27.1bn.
He said the bulk of the budget comprised transfers from the national government in the form of the Provincial Equitable Share, which over the medium-term expenditure would amount to R439.7bn.
The budget, said Maile, backed three priorities outlined in the Gauteng medium-term development plan 2024-29, including driving inclusive growth and jobs as a means of rebuilding confidence, crowding in investment and unlocking opportunities for work; improving living conditions and well-being through reliable services, safety and functioning social services; and building a capable and ethical development state through ensuring clean administration, discipline and consequence management.
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However, DA Gauteng finance spokesperson Ruhan Robinson said the budget focuses on the wrong priorities and excludes the “urgent need to address the collapsing infrastructure, which has resulted in a water, electricity and pothole crisis”.
“The maintenance needs of this province have been severely neglected for several years. On paper, the budget may appear favourable, but the key issue of collapsing infrastructure has not been adequately addressed,” Robinson said. “The budget for the new financial year covers about 2% of the maintenance needs. This is in stark contrast to the National Treasury norm, which is 8%.”
The Gauteng Office of the Premier was allocated R1.6bn in 2026/27, the Gauteng legislature R1.4bn, the department of economic development R1.8bn, the health department R70.3bn, the education department R70.9bn, social development R5.6bn, co-operative governance & traditional affairs R1.9bn, and human settlements R5.5bn.
The community safety department, which is housed in premier Panyaza Lesufi’s office, was allocated R2.3bn; agriculture & rural development, R742.6m; sport, arts, culture & recreation, R1bn; the e-government department, R1.9bn; the provincial treasury, R788.4m; infrastructure development, R3.7bn; and the department of environment, R646.6m.
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“We must be honest about our fiscal reality and the nature of obligations that significantly narrow our room to manoeuvre,” said Maile.
“For example, the province has already paid R9.3bn against the principal e-toll debt of R20bn, and R4.6bn is required for the next instalment in June 2026. In the last two years of the 2026 [medium-term framework], a further R6.2bn must be paid. These are consequential amounts that will have a significant implication on how we plan and execute.”
Robinson said the R4.6bn set aside for the e-toll debt could have been used for infrastructure maintenance: “Our water, electricity, roads and school infrastructure are on the brink of collapsing.
“Furthermore, there was no significant increase in the Gauteng department of infrastructure development this year to address the infrastructure challenge faced by the province.
“Gauteng’s roads are littered with potholes and sinkholes, yet the capital budget for roads and logistics is down by R500m for the new financial year.”
He said the DA will scrutinise the budget to how it will be spent in the new financial year.
Freedom Front Plus member of the provincial legislature Anton Alberts said: “Though the budget has grown by R3.6bn compared with the previous year, the increase is not sufficient to address all the issues in the province. This means the Gauteng government will have to implement additional internal cost-saving measures.
“In a report recently submitted to the MEC for finance … the Freedom Front Plus indicated that preventing various irregularities that occurred in the 2024/25 financial year could facilitate savings of about R3bn in the new financial year.
“It would entail specifically addressing irregular expenditure in the departments of health, housing, social development & infrastructure development.”
Alberts said in the human settlements department alone, “R520m was squandered on viability studies for housing projects that were subsequently cancelled. In addition, the auditor-general found that the department of education’s irregular expenditure amounted to a staggering R1.5bn.”
Now that the budget has been tabled, the party will look into “identifying more instances of ineffective expenditure so that funds can be reallocated to critical priorities”.
Build One SA (Bosa) spokesperson Roger Solomons said his party is disappointed with the budget as it “relies on hope rather than a credible strategy for growth and job creation”.
“Not enough of the budget is being directed to job-creating and job-supporting initiatives. About 2.5-million Gauteng residents are unemployed, representing about 33% of the workforce.
“During the final quarter of 2025 alone, the province lost 54,000 jobs. If Gauteng is meant to be the economic heartbeat of South Africa, the country today resembles a patient in ICU on a respirator,” Solomons said.
“The budget’s core spending priorities are cause for concern. Only R1.8bn is allocated to economic development, while R5.5bn goes to human settlements and R5.6bn to social development.
“Bosa does not oppose housing or social development programmes. These are vital services that must continue. However, the imbalance in allocations reveals a government that is not serious about tackling the root cause of poverty, which is the absence of jobs.
“If Gauteng is to reclaim its status as the economic hub of South Africa and the African continent, the province must prioritise policies that unlock growth.”
