SMMEs are our greatest potential source of job creation

House Chairperson, the ACDP is acutely aware that South Africa’s unemployment crisis remains one of the greatest threats to our economy, social stability and national dignity. Millions of South Africans, especially young people, remain excluded from meaningful...

South Africa is richly endowed with mineral wealth

House Chairperson, the ACDP notes that the Mineral and Petroleum Resources Budget Vote of R2.856 billion, comes at a critical time for South Africa’s economy, with low, jobless GDP growth. Our nation is richly endowed with mineral wealth, yet the sector continues to...

Cut red tape and make things easier particularly for small business

Chairperson, the ACDP notes the allocation of R3.12 billion to Small Business Development in the 2026/27 estimates of national expenditure. This is a significant amount but the Portfolio Committee has warned that the SEDFA agency must not hide persisting problems. The...

Water is life and the essence of human dignity

Honourable Chairperson, The ACDP has consistently affirmed that water is not merely a commodity but water is life and the essence of human dignity. Access to clean water is a constitutional right and together with sanitation, improves the self-worth of all individuals...

Judiciary in crisis with critical shortage of judges

House Chair, the ACDP is deeply concerned about the crisis facing the judiciary and this as a result of the critical shortage of judges and their ever-increasing workload. In the Pretoria-Johannesburg High Courts, more than 120,000 new cases are issued every year,...

Ineffective offender rehabilitation contributes to reoffending

House Chair, as we consider the Correctional Services budget vote, the ACDP believes that in addition to punitive and the deterrent role that incarceration plays, it must play a rehabilitative role so that offenders can be reintegrated into society as illustrated by...

Justice Budget must ensure NPA and SIU are sufficiently resourced

House Chair, the ACDP participates in this Justice Budget Vote not only mindful of the 30th anniversary of the Constitution but also mindful of the seminal judgement delivered by the Constitutional Court last week. We, as Christians, are acutely aware that the...

DIRCO is severely under-capacitated abroad

DIRCO is severely under-capacitated abroad

House Chairperson, The Portfolio Committee on International Relations and Cooperation is concerned that most of DIRCO's 2026/27 budget allocation of R7.23 billion will be swallowed by inflation and exchange‑rate pressures, enabling neither new programmes nor...

Industrialisation is the foundation of sustainable economic growth

Industrialisation is the foundation of sustainable economic growth

House Chairperson, The ACDP asserts that this Budget Vote 39 of some R11.7 billion for DTIC must be evaluated against one central imperative: whether it is building a productive, industrialised, and globally competitive South African economy. The economic indices...

Much has changed since February’s Budget Speech

Much has changed since February’s Budget Speech

House Chairperson, the ACDP said after the Budget Speech that the ship of public finances was starting to move in the right direction. That was in February. Much has changed since then, particularly with the dramatic increase in the fuel price since the outbreak of...