While opposition parties said they hoped Somyo would announce concrete steps on how he planned to cut down the high wage bill – which takes up about 65% of the total budget – the ANC said it wanted to hear about plans to ensure food security in the province.
The ANC chief whip in the provincial legislature, Mzoleli Mrara, said the budget had to be focused on the poor.
“Our budget needs to be biased towards social services such as construction of roads, schools and clinics,” Mrara said.
“It also need to address agriculture production, not just for commercial purposes but for food security.
