The Democratic Alliance (DA) in the North West has called for immediate accountability from Premier Bushy Maape’s office following revelations that provincial departments underspent by a staggering R383 million in the 2024/25 financial year.
The DA has raised alarm over the mismanagement of funds, particularly after the province lost R294 million in conditional grants—money earmarked for critical service delivery projects. Only R172 million was submitted for rollover consideration, despite severe service delivery challenges in key departments such as Health, Education, Human Settlements, Arts and Culture, and Agriculture and Rural Development.
“Negligence and Poor Planning” – DA
DA Caucus Leader in the North West, Freddy Sonakile, condemned the underspending, stating that it reflects “poor planning or outright negligence” in a province grappling with infrastructure backlogs, housing shortages, and healthcare deficiencies.
“Conditional grants are not discretionary—they must be spent on specific projects within a set timeframe. Failure to do so means the money is forfeited to other provinces,” Sonakile explained. “This is money that could have built roads, improved schools, or upgraded hospitals. Instead, it was lost due to inefficiency.”
A Recurring Problem
Sonakile noted that this was not an isolated incident, highlighting that the North West has consistently lost funds over the past five to six years due to underspending.
“When equitable share funds are lost, it’s bad enough. But conditional grants come with strict mandates—if you don’t use them, you lose them, and there must be consequences,” he said.
Call for Action
The DA is demanding:
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A full audit into why departments failed to spend allocated funds.
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Disciplinary measures against officials responsible for poor financial management.
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Stronger oversight mechanisms to prevent future losses.
Premier’s Office Yet to Respond
As of now, the Premier’s office has not issued a formal response to the DA’s demands. However, pressure is mounting as service delivery protests continue across the province, with residents decrying deteriorating infrastructure and inadequate public services.
What’s Next?
With the DA pushing for transparency, questions remain over whether provincial authorities will take action or if Treasury will impose stricter conditions on future allocations.
For now, the R383 million underspending stands as a stark reminder of the consequences of financial mismanagement—while communities bear the brunt of delayed projects and lost opportunities.
