Gauteng’s adjustment budget displays under-expenditure and poor performance, hampering service delivery

The mid-term adjustment budget delivered by Gauteng MEC for Finance, Jacob Mamabolo is an admission that government departments are struggling to spend their budget in a manner that will provide basic service delivery to all our residents.

Today, MEC Mamabolo announced that there will be a rollover of R1.6 billion. The Gauteng Department of Health has the biggest rollover of over R1.1 billion. This is very worrying as currently there is a huge underspending on infrastructure in the province.

For the remainder of the current government’s term the following key priorities have been identified:

• Economic recovery and reconstruction
• Strengthening the battle against crime, corruption, vandalism and overcoming lawlessness
• Changing the living conditions in townships, informal settlements, and hostels
• Prioritisation of the health and wellness of people
• Strengthening the capacity of the state

Infrastructure is one of the key drivers of the economy and if more is not done by the Gauteng Provincial Government (GPG) the current government facilities will not be able to cater to the needs of our residents, as the population in the province is growing on a daily basis.

MEC Mamabolo claims that this province has state-of-the-art infrastructure including roads, airports, rails, and premium digital connectivity. Yet when our motorists use our roads, they are faced with numerous potholes and a rail system that is not always operational.

Furthermore, there are plans in place to seek alternative funding for the e-Tolls debt and establish a state-owned bank and a state-owned pharmaceutical company. This will take time and will not be completed before the next general elections which are to be held in 2024.

The proposed state-owned bank appears to be a duplication of the work that the Gauteng Enterprise Propeller (GEP) is supposed to do. It is high time that this entity starts to deliver on its mandate to assist small businesses, particularly those operating in the townships.

In order to change the living conditions in hostels, townships and informal settlements, the dysfunctional Department of Human Settlements will need to get their act together as a matter of urgency.

If the GPG is committed to building a capable state in this province under the leadership of Premier Lesufi and MEC Mamabolo, the DA proposes the following solutions:
• Ensure that consequence management takes place where budgets are not spent within the allocated time frame
• Conduct an audit of all officials in the Gauteng Department of Infrastructure Development (GDID) to make sure they have the necessary skills needed to implement infrastructure projects
• Audit all entities and ensure that they are delivering on their mandate instead of creating new entities
• Reduce the amount of money spent on consultants by government departments
• Cut the red tape so that more small businesses are able to do business with the government

Gauteng residents deserve a government that is capable of delivering basic services to all, while still ensuring that there is value for money.

VBS Bank: MEC Creecy unfazed by collapse of Merafong and West Rand District

by Adriana Randall MPL – DA Gauteng Shadow MEC for Finance

Gauteng Finance MEC, Barbara Creecy, cannot tell the residents of Merafong and the West Rand District (WRD) municipality if the illegal investments made with VBS bank will be recovered.

MEC Creecy was tight-lipped about how these municipalities will fund their budgets without this much-needed capital, simply stating that provincial Treasury will assist.

The details of this assistance was not forthcoming.

The MEC’s lacklustre response further underscores the DA’s contention that internal ANC politics is interfering with her position in government and has rendered her a Constitutional delinquent.

It is her responsibility to implement Section 139 of the Constitution and place municipalities such as Merafong and the WRD under administration so that residents are not denied services.

Today, we again implored the MEC to take the steps stipulated in Section 139 to no avail.

The MEC indicated that there will be a forensic investigation has been initiated on the request of the two respective Mayors.

However, given this ANC-led provincial government’s lack of appetite to convict people found guilty in forensic investigations, it is likely that this process will bear no tangible outcome for the affected residents.

We will continue to ensure that this gross mismanagement of the people’s money is not swept under the carpet like many other “investigations” initiated by the ANC

GPG fails to meet GBN connectivity targets

by Mike Moriarty MPL – DA Gauteng Provincial Legislature Chief Whip

To date, only 1181 out of 3000 Gauteng Provincial Government (GPG) sites have been connected to the Gauteng Broadband Network (GBN).

This was confirmed to me by Gauteng MEC for Finance, Barbara Creecy, in response to written questions tabled in the Gauteng Provincial Legislature (GPL).

According to the MEC, the department has a shortfall of 489 sites that were to be connected in the 2017/2018 financial year. For the 2018/2019 financial year, the department plans to connect 850 additional sites.

Ensuring that government sites in Gauteng are connected to the GBN is important as many of our people cannot afford internet access at home.

Job seekers, especially the youth rely on this important service, so that they are able to find employment opportunities. Learners and students require internet access for projects and assignments.

In order to mitigate the risk of not meeting its targets, the department has requested the State Information Technology Agency (SITA) to commit to a rapid deployment strategy to be implemented so that the GBN Phase 2 service providers can be appointed.

We will closely monitor the rollout of this project to ensure that the GPG meets its targets of connecting multiple sites to the network. Come 2019, the DA will ensure that the people of Gauteng are not disadvantaged due to the poor implementation and mismanagement of key service delivery projects.

ANC failing to charter government towards the fourth industrial revolution

Barbara Creecy, in her tenure as Gauteng MEC for Finance, has stressed the importance of government digitizing its systems to advance service delivery, but the track-record of the Department of e-Government has shown that the MEC’s words have failed to translate into tangible results.

By the third quarter of the 2017/18 financial year the department has underspent on its budget by a whopping 16%. Only R861.1 million out of R1.461 billion, or 59% of the envisaged 75%, has been spent thus far.

This has had a major impact on performance.

Three Gauteng government departments and two provincial entities, which were to be connected to cloud packages for the quarter under review, have not been linked.

The common platform on which departments are meant to operate has not yet been tested.

There are still challenges connecting sites to the Gauteng Broadband Network and the ability to make use of end-to-end networking between departments remain.

Technological advancements make the work of government simpler, more cost effective and improves the lives of residents through improved service delivery outcomes.

The lacklustre performance of this department under the guidance of MEC Creecy shows that this ANC administration is void of tangible outcome and cannot commit to the promises it makes.

Under a DA government, digital migration and digitalisation of the province will be a game changer that will empower citizens and improve their quality of life through a more efficient and effective system of governance.

MECs Creecy and Mashatile must be held accountable for Emfuleni water crisis

Gauteng MEC for Finance, Barbara Creecy and MEC for Local Government, Paul Mashatile must accept responsibility for the perilous situation faced by thousands of Emfuleni residents who have had no access to water due to the financial mismanagement of the Emfuleni Local Municipality.

Last year the DA advised both MECs that Emfuleni should been placed under administration as it owed millions of Rands to both Eskom and Rand Water, placing residents and businesses in a precarious situation.

Had the ANC in Gauteng acted swiftly on the DA’s recommendations, these measures could have been avoided.

Both Creecy and Mashatile were too concerned with scoring places in the ANC’s elective congress in December 2017 to pay attention to the powder keg in the Vaal region which was waiting to explode.

Despite the fact that the Premier, David Makhura visited this municipality last week to assess the situation, it did little to change the water crisis in Emfuleni.

Water supply is a basic human right guaranteed by the constitution.

It is unacceptable for residents to be without water for days, particularly during this heat wave.

The Emfuleni Municipality must be dissolved and placed under administration as soon as possible to uphold government’s constitutional mandate of service delivery to all residents.

Failure to do so will not only perpetuate the financial mismanagement that has taken root, but residents will be exposed to health hazards such as diarrhoea, infection and dehydration.

The DA has requested a meeting with the Emfuleni Local Municipality Municipal Manager and the Mayor to get clarity on when the payment for the outstanding balance to Rand Water will be made to avoid the recurrence of such a situation.