ANCYL blames Cabinet for Limpopo issues

2012-01-19 22:42

Johannesburg - Placing departments under administration created problems for people in Limpopo instead of helping them, the ANC Youth League in the province said on Thursday.

"As a result of the interference by national Cabinet, service delivery in Limpopo is literally paralysed," it said in a statement.

"For the first time since 1994 we are experiencing problems."

It claimed school nutrition programmes and transport were not being paid, medication in hospitals was not being procured, education bursaries had been frozen and various other service providers had not been paid.

The national government placed five Limpopo departments under administration in December last year because of billions of rands in wasted spending, leaving the province bankrupt

Five departments - finance, education, health and social development, public works, and transport - were placed under national government's control. The remaining departments were operating under guidelines provided by national government.

Briefing the media on Cabinet's initial findings into the province's financial crisis, Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan said on Thursday that a forensic investigation into Limpopo's possible R2bn shortfall would start this week.

The ANCYL in the province said it was giving national Cabinet seven days to "rectify the situation".

"If we don’t notice any change, we will mobilise all affected stakeholders to march to Pretoria because that is the centre of our problems."

It said it was "puzzling" that the Limpopo provincial government had been targeted as it was not the "worst" province.

"Other provinces requested overdrafts exceeding the R1bn requested by Limpopo, yet those provinces are not targeted," the youth league said.

- SAPA