Honourable Speaker,
Premier,
Members of the Executive Council,
Members of the Free State Legislature,
Executive Mayors, Mayors and MMCs responsible for Finance,
The Senior Manager: Branch Operations for the FS, NC, EC and Borders of the South African, Revenue Service, Ms Tozi Mazitshana and her team,
Our partners in the Fraud Awareness Week, namely the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners, the Public Service Commission,
Standard Bank and Price Waterhouse Coopers,
Distinguished guests.
The core business of the Provincial Treasury relates to the preparation of the provincial budget, exercising control over the implementation thereof, promoting and enforcing transparency and effective management in respect of revenue, expenditure, assets and liabilities of provincial departments and entities and to execute our assigned duties in respect of the MFMA and other relevant legislation.
We do that, honourable Speaker, not only because it is required by law, but because we are conscious of the responsibility of prudent financial management to enable us, as government, to implement our policies and plans to ensure the wellbeing of all Free Staters.
It is our role as Provincial Treasury to make sure that these cornerstones are in place for us to be able to live up to the commitment made by the President in his January 8 Statement this year, and I quote: “Today, as South Africans, we pledge to leave no stone unturned until we have achieved economic freedom for we know that political freedom, without economic emancipation, is incomplete”
, close quote.
This budget vote speech aims to provide an overview of our performance during the current financial year as well as outlining our priorities and programmes for the 2015/16 financial year.
Progress and challenges in 2014/15
Audit outcomes
Hon Speaker, the Provincial Treasury’s performance is often judged against the audit outcomes of provincial and local government. It is evident from the most recent 2013/14 audit outcomes of the provincial government that financial management and accountability in the Free State has improved.
