Thursday, 31 July 2014, saw the Gauteng Provincial Legislature (GPL) pass the Gauteng Appropriation Bill which essentially is the budget of the Gauteng province for the 2014/15 financial year. The Bill provides for the appropriation of money from the Provincial Revenue Fund for the requirements of the Province and to provide for subordinate matters incidental thereto.
In his address on the Budget, Chairperson of the Legislature’s Portfolio Committee on Finance, Hon. Sakhiwe Khumalo, said: “This budget sets the foundation for the structural reforms envisaged over the medium term expenditure framework of this Provincial Government. It sets out the resource plan for an intensified implementation of our National Development Plan and the adopted ten-pillar programme of radical transformation, modernisation and reindustrialisation of Gauteng. It is tabled in the knowledge that all Gauteng citizens will gain from our economic transformation”.
This is well in line with some of the key priority areas presented by Gauteng Premier, Hon. David Makhura, in his recent State of the Province Address.
Hon. Khumalo further assured the people of Gauteng that, under his leadership, the Committee will intensify its efforts to ensure that public funds are spent efficiently and accounted for in the Province. This will translate to improved service delivery, and will be achieved through in-year monitoring and rigorous assessment and oversight of all financial and non-financial performance of Gauteng Provincial Departments.
The Committee will work together with the Gauteng Department of Treasury to significantly improve the audit outcomes of Provincial Departments, entities and Municipalities in an effort to obtain clean audits.
The budget reflects the commitment to put plans in place to improve the lives of the people of Gauteng. The persistent slow economic growth continues to have a direct impact on socio-economic challenges such as unemployment and poverty.
Furthermore, the prevalent immigration trends experienced by the Gauteng Province continue to exert pressure on National and Provincial resources. It is in this context that the Finance Committee is advocating for a prudent use of government resources.
A slight increase was noted for the Health Intervention Programme in the Provincial budget tabled by Gauteng Treasury, for which the Committee will monitor improvement. Other areas of focus for the Committee will include monitoring the implementation of Public Participation (PPP) Intervention programmes, timeous provision of quarterly reports, and progress reports on promotion of previously disadvantaged groups.
The Committee will continue to consider submissions from all Stakeholders on matters pertaining to service delivery, and encourage public participation by all Stakeholders on its programmes and engagements. This will ensure transparency and eliminate the risks of corruption and maladministration of public funds.
For more information/ interview requests, contact:
Ms Khazi Sithole
Tel: 011 498 5777
Cell: 060 533 2122
E-mail: KSithole@gpl.gov.za
