City Press reports that government has revealed plans to announce a draconian medium-term budget, which will include cutting its numbers of civil servants.
The budget is expected to put the squeeze on salary budgets across departments, as well as those for goods and services. According to a senior government official privy to Cabinet matters, after the budget policy statement on 26 October, government would start encouraging older civil servants to take early retirement to save money. The official also said the continuing drought was placing additional strain on the economy. In relation to student protests over free tertiary education, the official commented as follows: “The question is, what would it take for government to yield to the demand for free education? Does it mean we stop social grants or building houses? Something has to give for that to happen.”
- Read this report by S’thembile Cele and Setumo Stone in full at City Press
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