15 October 2020
On Wednesday 21 October 2020, the Budget Justice Coalition (BJC) will table Imali Yesizwe (Our Nation’s Money) – an alternative, people’s budget based on human rights.
BJC anticipates that the medium term budget policy statement, now due to be tabled by Finance Minister Tito Mboweni on 28 October 2020, will accelerate the austerity of recent years by cutting funding to health, education, social development, local government and housing, and critical institutions such as the South African Revenue Service, Statistics SA, and the National Prosecuting Agency, in a misguided attempt to stabilise public debt.
BJC believes this is the wrong priority and will do more harm than good. The Coalition will outline its vision for an alternative budget that is progressive, gender-sensitive, environmentally sustainable and categorical in its prioritisation of the realisation of human rights.
The details are as follows:
Date: 21 October 2020
Time: 11h00 – 11h45
Venue: Register in advance for this webinar.
Send media enquiries to:
Phemelo Khaas
PhemeloK@corruptionwatch.org.za / 083 763 3472
Julia Chaskalson
Chaskalson@section27.org.za / 083 440 2674
ABOUT THE BUDGET JUSTICE COALITION:
Civic organisations who are part of the Budget Justice Coalition include: the Alternative Information and Development Centre, the Children’s Institute at UCT, Corruption Watch, the Dullah Omar Institute at UWC, Equal Education, Equal Education Law Centre, the Institute for Economic Justice, Oxfam SA, Pietermaritzburg Economic Justice and Dignity Group, the Public Service Accountability Monitor, the Rural Health Advocacy Project, SECTION27, and the Treatment Action Campaign.
The purpose of the Budget Justice Coalition is to collaboratively build people’s understanding of and participation in South Africa’s planning and budgeting processes – placing power in the hands of the people to ensure that the state advances social, economic and environmental justice, to meet people’s needs and well-being in a developmental, equitable and redistributive way in accordance with the Constitution.
