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 non-functional 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.
Social media increasingly brings the failures to public attention. Videos of overcrowded hospital wards circulate widely. Images of learners shielding themselves from rain in classrooms are shared across platforms. The posts are not anecdotal; they are symptomatic of a persistent disconnect between allocated resources and visible outcomes.
If more than a third of the national budget goes to the essential services, why are South Africans experiencing such acute deficiencies in health and education? Where is the money going and why is progress so limited?
The issue is not solely about funding. Leadership, accountability and transparency are equally important. This is where Decode’s Sixth Annual X Report becomes relevant. The report tracks how government leaders use X, formerly Twitter and highlights a concerning pattern. Ministries often use the platform as a one-way broadcast channel rather than a tool for engagement and accountability.
Citizens post complaints, share images and videos of systemic failures and ask for explanations. Responses from government leaders are limited, often generic and non-committal. Decode’s analysis shows that ministries responsible for health and education are among the least active in engaging with citizen concerns. The digital absence reflects broader accountability gaps offline.
Civil society organisations such as Equal Education and Section27 have long documented systemic failures. Their research highlights unsafe classrooms, broken sanitation, overcrowded schools and hospitals lacking critical staff, medicines and equipment. Legal action, advocacy campaigns and public reporting have helped draw attention to the issues. Yet improvements remain slow and uneven. Billions are allocated in the budget but results on the ground remain minimal.
The national budget is more than a financial statement. It is a social contract. Each rand allocated to health and education carries with it the promise of care for patients, education for children and opportunity for future generations. When the promises go unfulfilled, public trust erodes and frustration deepens.
Despite significant allocations to health and education, hospitals remain overwhelmed and schools continue to struggle. According to Decode’s report, even when evidence of systemic failures is shared online, ministers responsible for the sectors rarely acknowledge or respond. Citizens are left in the dark while leadership retains control over the narrative without addressing issues substantively.
South Africans do not need another polished speech. They need leadership that shows up in hospitals, in classrooms and in digital spaces where accountability resides. They need transparency on how budgets are spent, honesty about challenges and active engagement with citizens demanding better services.
Budgets alone do not heal patients. Budgets alone do not educate children. People do. Leadership is measured not by allocation on paper but by whether that allocation translates into real change.
If the government is serious about delivering on its promises, it must close the accountability gap and ensure that billions allocated to health and education result in tangible outcomes for the millions who depend on the services.
Until then, the question remains: If the money is being spent, where is it going?
Nancy Dusani is a graduate in public relations and communications from the University of Johannesburg and is pursuing an advanced diploma in strategic communication. She is interning at Decode Communications, a pan-African communications agency in Johannesburg.
Despite significant allocations to health and education, hospitals remain overwhelmed and schools struggle
