Despite the ANC not having the majority in the Gauteng Provincial Legislature (GPL), the MEC for Finance, Lebogang Maile decided to consult all political parties except the second biggest party in Gauteng, the Democratic Alliance (DA). The ANC’s unrepentant, unchanged and arrogant attitude has and continues to undermine the service delivery needs of Gauteng residents. One would’ve thought that they would have learnt a lesson by now, but clearly they have not.
The DA will review the budget per department to ascertain whether it is adequate to render services. Should it be found that the budget does not suit service delivery needs or perpetuates the same problems we have been having for the longest of time, we will not support that budget. Voting will be based on service delivery needs and whether there are reforms and proper reprioritisation aimed at better governance.
The budget tabled today by MEC Maile mainly focuses on funding the promises made by Premier Panyaza Lesufi during his State of the Province Address (SOPA) in February.
While MEC Maile was at pains to explain that the province is not in a financial crisis, he has admitted that the repayment of a portion of the e-Toll debt is affecting provincial finances, something the DA has warned about.
For a long time, the DA in Gauteng has been advocating that the fuel levy be used to pay for the e-Toll gantries and that the gantries be used to enforce traffic laws.
In addition, the provincial government also needs to pay outstanding invoices for goods and services provided by various service providers in the previous financial year, which also puts a strain on the budget.
Despite tabling a R171 billion budget for the 2025/2026 financial year, an increase of R2 billion from the previous year, the Health Department has a deficit of R7.3 billion. This department owes service providers R4.3 billion for goods and services that have been provided. The same goes for the Department of Education, which owes municipalities money for utilities. Many service providers have to wait more than 30 days before they are paid for their services, yet they need to pay salaries to their employees.
The MEC announced that an ombudsman will be appointed to oversee the payment of invoices within 30 days. However, the MEC has not indicated whether the ombudsman will also be checking whether the correct supplier is being paid.
This is the first step to closing any loopholes that may exist for corruption to creep in. Millions of rands are being lost to corruption and the disciplinary process where officials are found to be involved in corrupt activities takes too long to be concluded.
It is also concerning that the maintenance budget for the province has been reduced by R1 billion, given the dire state of our provincial roads, schools, clinics and hospitals.
An increase in the budget does not equal better service delivery unless the current government commits to fixing what is broken first before embarking on new projects as outlined by the Premier during his SOPA this year.
We are also concerned about accountability and transparency, seeing that there is the continued hiding of 177 forensic reports which implicate some of the people who are to be entrusted with the budget.
Our votes are not for sale. We will review the budget fairly and ensure that the budget tabled today is in the best interest of our residents.
A DA Gauteng-led provincial government would deliver a balanced budget to ensure that all critical service delivery projects are funded and completed on time and within budget. Service providers will be paid within 30 days to avoid invoices being paid in the new financial year. Furthermore, we would not have agreed to pay the e-Toll debt which is now putting a strain on our budget.