Limpopo MEC of Provincial Treasury Seaparo Sekoati
As the government plans crystallise, the Limpopo MEC of Provincial Treasury Seaparo Sekoati today tables the budget for the New Year before the legislature in Lebowakgomo, outside Polokwane.
The tabling of the provincial budget follows the State of the Province Address by Premier Stanley Mathabatha, in which he pronounced on various projects for the year. Among these are a myriad of projects, from solar energy for health facilities to the financing of the Special Economic Zones of Musina-Makhado and Fetakgomo-Tubatse.
As for the Limpopo Academic Hospital, it will be funded from the national fiscus. The national fiscus will equally fund mayor water projects such as the raising of the Tzaneen Dam wall, Olifants River Water Resource Development, Musina-Makhado SEZ bulk water supply and Nandoni Water Treatment Works. Municipalities which are responsible for water reticulation require the bulk source to complete supply of water to communities.
The Departments that normally get the lion’s share of the budget are Health, Education, Public Works, Roads and Infrastructure and Cooperative Governance, Human Settlements and Traditional Affairs.
In order to create a conducive learning environment, the province will build an additional 150 classrooms in the next financial year. About 150 schools will be provided with sanitation over a period of time.
On health, the fight against HIV/AIDS, TB and malaria continues.
The Department of Public Works, Roads and Infrastructure will continue with its support to other departments, while it continues with the rehabilitation and upgrading of roads in the province. Recent floods which necessitated the declaration of the National State of Disaster have added a further strain on the department to respectively fix and replace damaged and destroyed roads and bridges.
Through the Department of COGHSTA, Traditional Leaders will be supported with offices and transport.
Sekoati will allocate money to these projects and to fund all the other plans of the provincial government. Once allocated money for their plans, it will remain to be seen whether the departments spent their budgets and account for their allocations in a manner satisfactory to the Auditor General of South Africa.
Many departments still find clean audit outcomes elusive.
Meanwhile departments will start the tabling of their budgets from 28 March. The municipalities will start tabling their budget votes from June to complete the government planning circle across its three spheres – national, province and local.