Billions alloted but few results

Despite significant allocations to health and education, hospitals remain overwhelmed and schools struggle

- Nancy Dusani

Each year, South Africans listen to the national budget speech, hoping that billions allocated to public services will translate into meaningful improvements.

On paper, the 2026 budget looks promising. More than a third of the national budget is earmarked for health and education, sectors that are critical to societal wellbeing and national development.

Yet for millions who rely on the services, the results are often invisible.

At Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital, patients sometimes sit on the floor in the emergency unit because there are not enough beds. Nurses and doctors move from one case to the next with, barely a moment to pause.

Essential equipment is limited and patients wait for hours, some in visible distress, before receiving care. The hospital is not an isolated case. It reflects broader systemic constraints in public healthcare that persist across provinces.

Public schools present a similar challenge. In rural and township communities, learners attend overcrowded classrooms, often under leaking roofs. Toilets remain nonfunctional for weeks or months and many girls lack access to dignified sanitation or clean water. Teachers work under considerable strain, trying to deliver lessons in spaces that are unsafe and poorly resourced.

Despite billions allocated in the national budget, the basic infrastructure deficits continue to persist.