Madam Speaker and Deputy Speaker
Premier David Makhura and fellow Members of the Executive Council
Chief Whip Member Brian Hlongwa
Leaders of Political Parties
Members of the Provincial Legislature
MMCs of Finance and Councilors
Distinguished Members of the Diplomatic Community
Representatives from the Auditor General’s Office and Senior Officials of Government and Municipalities
Representatives of Business, Organised Labour, and Civil Society
Distinguished guests
Comrades and Friends

I am honoured to present to this esteemed House, the fourth budget of our Fifth Administration. A budget that will take us to the end of our term, under the leadership of Premier David Makhura.

Let me begin with tabling the following documents for consideration by this House:

• The Appropriation Bill for 2018
• The Explanatory Memorandum to the Bill
• Estimates of Provincial Revenue and Expenditure
• Estimates of Capital Expenditure
• The Socio-Economic Review Outlook and;
• A copy of my Speech

Honourable members, two weeks ago when President Cyril Ramaphosa began the State of the Nation Address, he paid tribute to the late former President Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela whose centenary we celebrate this year, with the words:

“We have dedicated this year to his memory and we will devote our every action, every effort, every utterance to the realisation of his vision of a democratic, just and equitable society.

Guided by his example, we will use this year to reinforce our commitment to ethical behavior and ethical leadership.

In celebrating the centenary of Nelson Mandela, we are not merely honoring the past, we are building the future.

We are continuing the long walk he began, to build a society in which all may be free, in which all may be equal before the law and in which all may share in the wealth of our land and have a better life.

We are building a country where a person’s prospects are determined by their own initiative and hard work, and not by the colour of their skin, place of birth, gender, language or income of their parents.

President Ramaphosa has created a new mood of hope in our country and our province.  A new optimism that our economy can recover and transform to offer meaningful opportunities to those who have been marginalized for so long.

This new dawn energizes us to build partnerships to tackle poverty, inequality and unemployment.  It inspires us to once again confront intractable problems.

Last week Premier Makhura in his State of the Province Address said:

“the new dawn requires not only that we dream again or rehabilitate our wounded dreams. It calls for new dreams that imagine a civilization beyond the present-a new civilization that is premised on equity and social justice and puts the primacy of human well-being above everything else. The new dawn also calls for a new dream of politics in which public officials uphold high standards of accountability, integrity and ethics and show respect for its citizens.”

Honourable members, the 2018 Gauteng Budget I table for your consideration today, sets out how this provincial government will fund our commitment to equity and social justice.

We outline how we have used, and will continue to use Gauteng’s massive procurement spend to improve public facilities, transform our economy and create work.

We explain how Gauteng Province has managed to raise own revenue to compensate for cuts in the equitable share.

We tell the story of our contribution to restoring public confidence in procurement, sound financial management and public accountability.

Our new dawn is based on the reality of recovery in the global and domestic economy. At an international level, there are improvements in investment, trade, commodity prices, and business and consumer confidence.

World growth is expected to reach nearly four percent this year. Growth in emerging markets will reach nearly five percent with healthy trends expected in China, Brazil and India.

Our national economy is projected to grow only by 1.5% this year, inflation has stabilized, the stock market has risen, the rand has strengthened and there is a welcome recovery in investor sentiment and business confidence.

As early as January 11 this year, Goldman Sachs noted that: “investors are looking for the next big Emerging Market story…South Africa is at the top of the list of potential candidates provided we continue to consolidate fiscal expenditure and offer policy certainty”.

Allow me Honourable members on behalf of the Gauteng Provincial Government to congratulate Minister Nhlanhla Nene and Deputy Minister Mondli Gungubele on their recent appointments to lead our National Treasury.

Both the Minister and Deputy Minister of Finance have, from different perspectives, a deep understanding of the complex pressures facing Provincial and Municipal Governments.

Honourable Premier, last Monday you reminded us of the challenges we face in relation to population in-migration and our equitable share. 

Gauteng’s Municipal finances also face rising debt levels due to high levels of unemployment and increased demand for free basic services without commensurate increases in revenue.

I now feel re-energised to tackle these long standing and intractable problems. So Honourable Premier…send me!

The past two years have been difficult ones for the City Region and our people.  While ours remains the largest provincial economy in the country, growth has been hard hit by low investment and confidence.

Supporting economic recovery is a pressing priority for this government. We remain deeply concerned that in this, the richest province in the country, one third of our residents officially live in conditions of poverty. One in three economically active citizens are without work. 

To deal decisively with these issues, Premier Makhura last Monday called on the Gauteng government, the private sector, organized labour and civil society to accelerate delivery on the following programmes:

• Tshepo 1 Million, our partnership to address youth unemployment;
• the re-industrialisation of the Gauteng economy;
• revitalisation of the township economy;
• modernising key sectors of the economy and the state to harness the opportunities of the 4th Industrial revolution
• delivery of new infrastructure and maintenance of existing infrastructure;
• Intensifying the fight against corruption, collusion, and maladministration;
• Reconnecting with communities so they become the primary drivers of renewal and;
• Changing the culture of the public service so we treat citizens with dignity; compassion and professionalism.

Madam Speaker, National Treasury in their Budget Review has described the 2018 Budget as a budget that outlines a series of measures to rebuild economic confidence and return public finances to a sustainable path.

Central to this objective is a decision to narrow the budget deficit and stabilise government borrowing over the next three to five years. To achieve this, National Treasury has announced both measures to grow revenue and reduce expenditure to contain spending.

The Gauteng Provincial Government welcomes the national government announcement last week to review the basket of VAT zero rated items.  We look forward to ensuring Gauteng’s voice is heard in this process.

Budget 2018 also announced further cuts to our equitable share and conditional grants. With current high levels of in-migration to our province, Health and Education in particular, will still face spending pressure.

To close funding gaps, we are primarily dependent on provincial revenue and off budget investment and partnerships.

Honourable members we understand tough times means more citizens than ever before are dependent on government services.

Accordingly, we will not pass these cuts on to Provincial Departments. Instead we will use our own provincial resources to absorb these cuts and mitigate spending pressures. 

Honourable members, since 2014, Provincial Treasury has raised a total of R 21 billion in own revenue, mainly from motor vehicle licenses, patient fees, gambling and liquor licences and interest revenue from our short-term investments.

We are pleased to announce that the new regulations for Gambling Taxes were approved by the Provincial Legislature Committee for Scrutiny of Subordinate Legislation and will come into effect this year.

In preparation for this 2018/19 Budget, Provincial Treasury asked all Departments to submit information on partnership agreements which bring in support from the private sector and civil society in the provision of public services.

I can share with this house today that our departments have over R 400 million’ worth of service delivery partnerships. The largest contribution to off budget investment in the built environment, has been made by the Department of Human Settlements.

To date, this Department has launched seven mega human settlement programmes that will collectively provide over 80 000 housing units. These projects have collectively attracted R50.7 billion in private sector investment.

By June this year, seven projects co-ordinated by the Gauteng Infrastructure Financing Agency, will have reached financial close and be in the implementation phase. This includes the Jewelry Manufacturing Precinct (“JMP”), the West Rand Logistics Hub, the

Lindley Waste Water Treatment Works, the Trigen/ Co-gen Plants at Chris Hani Baragwaneth Hospital, the Tshwane Innovation Hub: Enterprise Buildings 2 and 3 and the Rooftop Solar Panels Project. Collectively these projects are worth more than R4 billion.

Honourable members in these times of rising direct and indirect taxes, our province’s breadwinners are expected to sacrifice hard earned money for higher VAT and fuel costs.

Accordingly, our citizens have a right to know that their taxes are put to the best possible use, and that this government is not squandering them through poor financial management or ill-conceived programs and projects.

Provincial Treasury remains committed to cutting waste and improving financial management, so we ensure that the money we have is used to put human well-being above everything else.

Guided by National Treasury Instruction note no 1 of 2013/14 we have reduced budgets on non-core expenditure items by ten percent per annum over the previous MTEF, which released R 415 million to core projects. 

All Gauteng Departments and municipalities have worked hard to ensure better financial management and greater public accountability in the use of public funds. This has led to twenty- three departments and entities boasting clean audits and all others receiving unqualified audits.

Honourable members I am happy to share with you today that for the third year in a row all Gauteng Municipalities have sustained their record of unqualified audits. This includes Rand West Municipality which has achieved an unqualified audit as a consolidated municipality for the first time. We congratulate Midvaal Municipality for once again maintaining its clean audit.

The Open Tender procurement process remains our flagship programme, to ensure that we systematically eliminate irregular expenditure in Gauteng. To date 75 projects have now progressed successfully through the system.  In the coming year our intention is that all new departmental tenders will be publicly adjudicated.

In support of this program the Provincial Treasury has now completed training of 1068 supply chain officials throughout the province.

I know my fellow MECs will be happy when I announce that Provincial Treasury has improved its Open Tender project management capacity by contracting external resources, to ensure we do not delay departmental procurement with inefficiency and red tape.

Now I need my fellow MECs to commit to insourcing the necessary technical expertise to ensure tender specifications are adequately prepared first time round!

In November, I explained in this house the work the Executive Council Sub-Committee on Health is doing to stabilize the finances of the Provincial Health Department and mitigate the risk that accruals pose to the provincial fiscus.

This committee has conducted a comprehensive review of the Health Budget to understand the root causes of over-spending and ensure corrective action leads to sustainable solutions.

Our research reveals that over the past fourteen years, per capita spending on healthcare for Gauteng’s residents has increased from R2500 to R4500 per person per year. 

Over a similar period of time, to meet the ever-increasing demand for services, the Department has employed an additional 25 000 healthcare practitioners. 

Ongoing under-budgeting by the Department for personnel, crowds out spending on goods and services, resulting in accruals or unpaid invoices.

In effect, the Department of Health is borrowing from its suppliers to fund current services. This situation is not acceptable and cannot continue.

Accordingly, we are working with the Department of Health on a package of remedial measures which include:
• shifting resources to fund personnel and goods and services;
• cutting expenditure on non-core costs;
• holding managers to account for expenditure within budget in every health facility;
• putting a moratorium on new infrastructure projects and services until we have paid off all the accruals and;
• prioritizing filling frontline clinical posts.
Once the debt is eliminated and operations are within budget, savings can be redirected to support the extension of infrastructure or new services.

In this year of renewal and recovery we are asking all our health professionals, organized labour, our patients and the citizens of Gauteng to support this package of measures.

We are asking you to lend a hand to stabilize our Health system. By stabilizing our health budget now, we will in future be able to realize our dream of building the National Health Insurance system here in Gauteng.

Provincial Treasury will soon conduct budget reviews in Education and the Department of Infrastructure Development. This will help direct reforms so accruals don’t become unmanageable.

Madam Speaker the Gauteng Provincial Government is proud of our track-record in using this government’s massive procurement spend to drive meaningful transformation, empowerment, job creation and economic inclusion in the mainstream economy.   

Over the last four years, R57.7 billion rand has been spent on procuring goods and services from 12 041 firms owned by historically disadvantaged individuals. Included in the overall figure are 7 488 companies owned by women, and 5539 companies owed by youth, and 2145 companies owned by people living with disabilities.

In the year to date, our infrastructure departments have spent a total of R577 million on subcontracting township builders, plumbers and other artisans. We welcome this new contribution to our overall township economic revitalisation programme.

Given the important role township enterprises play in our overall transformation agenda, we are happy to report that R17 billion has now been spent over the past four years procuring goods and services from these businesses.

Our township economy spend has been increasing by about 13 % per annum. By the end of this financial year we will have utilized almost half of the nine and a half thousand township companies we have on our database.

Our supplier development programme is working well. Fifteen hundred of our targeted two and a half thousand new suppliers have been verified and their services advertised to our sister departments. Five hundred have now been through developmental programs and introduced to a range of organisations offering further financial and non-financial support.

Because we understand the significant role micro enterprises play, particularly in providing youth employment, we are now working with our sister departments to design a developmental pipeline.

This prototype will model how we move start-ups from informal operations, through developmental programmes, to access markets including government procurement and onwards to becoming sustainable businesses in their own right, with a range of business opportunities outside of government.

Later this year we will host a Supplier Development workshop where we will reach consensus on this model and build partnerships with the private sector and civil society for its implementation.

As a provincial government we look forward to the publication by National Treasury for public comment of the proposed Public Procurement Bill during the month of March. We hope to use our experience in transformative procurement to comment and support this new legislation!  Thuma Thina!

The Gauteng Provincial Government also understands the importance of paying our suppliers on time. In the year to date, 98% of our invoices, with the exception of Heath, Education and Infrastructure have been paid within 30 days. In fact the majority of our Departments are now paying 93% of their invoices within 15 days. The Department of Education has paid 85% of its invoices within 30 days, three quarters of these invoices were paid within 15 days.

The Gauteng Government’s R42.2 billion infrastructure spend has made a major contribution to stimulating economic activity, creating employment and raising living standards in communities across our province over the last four years.

Our research indicates that during the construction phase this spend has:
• generated R26 billion worth of economic activity in the Gauteng economy;
• ensured Gauteng households received R15 billion worth of additional income;
• generated R7 billion in additional government revenue and;
• most importantly created and sustained 95 478 direct jobs and 194 488 indirect and induced jobs.

Honourable Members today the Gauteng Provincial Government tables a budget of R121 billion which increases to R135 billion in the outer year of the MTEF. This year alone we are adding R9 billion to departmental baselines, a huge increase under the current difficult circumstances.

The Province receives R114.9 billion in the form of transfers from national government in 2018/19. The equitable share is R93.4 billion and Conditional grants equal R21.5 billion.

This year we aim to collect R 6 billion in own revenue, and this will grow to R 6.7 billion in the outer year of the MTEF.

In the coming 2018 Medium term Expenditure Framework we are setting aside R31.8 billion for infrastructure. This significant allocation will be invested in our different development corridors over the next three years as follows:
• The Southern corridor: R3.9 billion
• The Western Corridor: R3.5 billion
• The Eastern Corridor: R4 billion
• The Central corridor R6.1 billion
• The Northern Corridor: R5.1 billion

The Department of Human Settlement will receive just over half this budget, an amount of R16.2 billion. This will include the renovation and upgrading of community residential units commonly known as hostels. Over the MTEF, we are setting aside R666.5 million towards this program. In the current financial year, we will be spending R279 million for upgrading and renovating 17 hostels. We have also allocated the Department R43.7 million to settle debts owed to municipalities in provincially owned hostels.

The Department of Roads and Transport will receive R6.4 billion in infrastructure money over the medium term. The most significant project to start in the design phase this year is the PWV 15, the first brand new Gauteng Highway to be built since the 1970s.
Together with all Gauteng Citizens, Provincial Treasury welcomes Premier Makhura’s announcement to approach President Ramaphosa to discuss a different mechanism to finance public transport and our road network in our province. We agree that the e-tolls have not worked and have been rejected as a public financing mechanism by our citizens.

Honorable Members, the Department of Economic Development continues to lead our drive for economic recovery, re-industrialisation and transformation. The budget for the department in 2018/19 is R1.5bn

The key programmes in this Department are:
• R11.8 million for the expansion of the Automotive Supplier Park
• R56 million for the upgrading of township hubs/industrial parks
• R67.3 million for small business development at the Gauteng Enterprise Propeller
• This year the Tshwane Innovation Hub will receive R35.5 million to implement programmes such as Start-up Support for township companies.

To address the productive and employment potential of the so-called Fourth Industrial Revolution, the Gauteng Departments of Economic Development and eGovernment jointly hosted the Gauteng Technology and Innovation Conference in January this year.

The conference agreed that the first step in building an innovation ecosystem in Gauteng, is to set up an Innovation Forum consisting of Government, the Private Sector, Higher Education and the Civil Society.

The immediate but not exclusive tasks of the forum are to increase investment in research and development, advocate production and consumption modernization in Gauteng’s key economic sectors, promote start-ups particularly amongst youth and township entrepreneurs and work with the education sector to ensure we get the right skills to support new career paths, economic productivity and entrepreneurship.

To support the ongoing provincial modernization drive and continue to connect all government institutions to the Broadband network, the Department of e-Government is allocated R 1 billion over the next three years.

Agriculture and Rural Development remains one of our key economic enablers.  The department’s budget grows from R957 million in 2018/19 to over R 1 billion in outer year of the MTEF. R421 million is set aside for Agriculture and Rural Development
Key allocations are:
• R68 million for Agro-processing and Agriparks

• R92.3 million for farmer support and development programmes including fencing, boreholes, piggeries, broilers, layers, fertilisers, pesticides, implements and seeds.
• R21.8 million for the roll-out of the Community Vets Programme to support small and emerging producers and;
• R30.2 million for community, backyard and school food gardens.

Honourable Members, in this Centenary year of the late former President Nelson Mandela, our Gauteng Government remains guided by his dictum that “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”

Accordingly, our allocation to the Department of Education in this financial year increases from R41.8 billion to R45.2 billion this year.
Key allocations include:
• R3.2 billion for direct transfers to Public Ordinary Schools, Early Childhood Development sites and Special Schools.
• R2.7 billion for the special school sector which caters for learners with intellectual and other disabilities;
• R1.2 billion to provide more than 1.4 million learners with a hot meal at school every day;
• R 1 billion to transport learners who live more than 5 kilometers from the nearest school;
• R238 million to support the continued roll out of e-Learning strategy;
• R 2 billion for textbooks, stationery, school furniture and other learner support materials;
• R196 million towards the teacher development and support initiatives;
• R159 million to improve the Grade 12 performance and to increase the bachelor pass rates.

In his State of the Province Address Premier Makhura indicated that the Tshepo One Million project launched two years ago, has concluded more than 40 partnership agreements with major private sector corporations to open opportunities for demand-led skills development, job-placement and entrepreneurship.

Our Premier indicated that 460 000 young people have already benefitted from this initiative.

In this financial year we will contribute over half a billion rand for youth development made up as follows:
• R117. 4 million for Tshepo One Million;
• R17.8 million to the Expanded Public Works Programme to create 3 000 work opportunities;
• R76.8 million for the National Youth Service programme which includes Zivuseni;
• R261 million to provide 3 000 bursaries, learnerships and scholarships to universities and Tvet colleges;
• R186million for government internships;
• R50.9 million for the accelerated youth placement programme hosted by the Department of Economic Development and;
• R43.7 million for the welfare to work programme which will help a further 34 774 women, inclusive of single mothers, to move from dependence on child care grants to sustainable self-supporting economic activity.

Consistent with the commitment made earlier in this speech, the Gauteng Department of Health will receive the largest share of the provincial government budget this year. The Departmental budget increases from R41.9 billion to R46.4 billion.
Key allocations are:
• R26.7 billion in 2018/19 is allocated to fund the personnel budget, rising from R25 billion in 2017/18 and;
• R15.8 billion to fund the goods and services budget rising from R12.8 billion last year.

One of the commitments arising from the Executive Council Sub Committee on Health is to settle our long standing debt to the National Health Laboratory services. Following intensive negotiations, I am happy to report the following: 
• Department of Health should continue to pay all current invoices in full.
• The payment of the old invoices will be settled within a 24-month period.

Madam Speaker in these difficult times when our economy cannot create sufficient jobs for our people, many households are dependent on support from our poverty alleviation programmes. This year we have allocated R4.9 billion to the Department of Social Development to be used as follows:
• R293 million for services for Gauteng’s aged which includes resourcing 26 Community based care facilities that provide support to 16 782 older persons;
• R2.3 billion for services for children, of which R280 million is to fund new Early Childhood Development Centres with toys, libraries and play groups, minor renovations including ablution facilities, standardized meals for children in the poorest wards and capacity building. This programme will benefit 107 358 children;
• R137 million is allocated for services to people with disabilities which includes implementation of independent living programmes, and increasing income earning opportunities in protective workshops services;
• R175 million is made available over the medium term to provide 70 000 people from the poorest households with food parcels this year and;
• Over the 2018 MTEF an additional R156 million is allocated to support co-operatives that are producing school uniforms and dignity packs for our learners. These co-operatives will produce 151 351 uniforms and 1 200 000 dignity packs this year. Altogether more than 30 000 vulnerable people benefit from work opportunities in these co-operatives.

Honourable Members painful stories of individuals and families affected by substance abuse are always told at our Ntirhisano outreach programmes. Over the next three years this provincial government is allocating over a billion rand to fight substance abuse, through both prevention and treatment initiatives.

Abuse of women and girls affects our daily lives and shocks us all with its brutality. An amount of R245.9 million over the 2018 MTEF is set aside for the expansion of the Isibindi programme and the prevention of violence against women.

To ensure our social Development Department can absorb the social work graduates whom we have funded, we have set aside R237.8 million over the MTEF. 

The Department of Sports Arts, Culture and Recreation leads our campaign to promote nation building and social cohesion. This year the Department is allocated R942 million as follows:
• R10.2 million for the Premier’s Social Cohesion and holiday games;
• R35 million for Bidding and Hosting competitive sport;
• R5.6 million for the Nelson Mandela Remembrance Walk;
• R6.5 million for the Tricolour games and;
• R84 million for construction of multipurpose sports courts.

Honourable Members fighting crime at community level remains an important aspect of our programme to promote safe and cohesive communities in our province. Accordingly, the Department of Community Safety receives:
• R49 million this year to improve community-centered policing which includes Community Policing Forums (CPFs).
• A further R65.6 million is allocated over three years to fight crimes against women and children.  This includes monitoring forensic social workers within the Criminal Justice System, legal experts to strengthen services at Ikhaya Lethemba; monitoring the Family Justice Support System; and expansion of Regional Victim Offices to support the victims of gender-based violence.
• Because road safety remains a priority for all of us, this year we allocate R121.9 million to reduce road fatalities through targeted law enforcement operations.

We will continue to make good on our commitments to pay for all services rendered to the province by our municipalities.  We have set aside R 901 million in 2018/19; R954 million in 2019/20 and R1 billion in 2020/21 towards the payment rates and taxes. 

We have also allocated R528 million to pay municipal bills at no-fee public schools.

The Grant Committee will continue to be an interface between departments and municipalities in fast tracking payments and resolving disputes over municipal debts.

An amount of R23 million is allocated over the MTEF to the Office of the Premier to continue strengthening the fight against corruption through the Integrity Management Programme.

The Provincial Treasury receives an additional R23.6 million over the 2018 MTEF, to fund probity audits to improve transparency in government procurement processes through the open tender process.

A further R29 million is allocated over the 2018 MTEF to provide for in-house and independent forensic investigations.

Honourable Members, as you all know we are currently awaiting the final report from Justice Moseneke on the Life Esidimeni Tragedy. What we know at this stage, is that agreement has been reached with the families of the victims in relation to individual compensation. An amount of R28 million is allocated in this budget to the Department of the Premier, to honour this commitment.

Allow me to take a moment to repeat in this House my words to the families when I gave evidence at the hearing in January: the testimony of suffering and cruelty I listened to in the course of the hearings has never left me. It filled me with shame that I was part of this government when this terrible tragedy happened. If as a result of the testimony I gave at the hearings, you feel that there were things which I should have done as MEC of Finance which I did not do, I apologize, deeply and sincerely.

I think it is appropriate to end today with a quote from our national poet laurite Keorapetse Kgositsile, whom we laid to rest in January. 
In his poem Wounded Dreams he wrote:
Though the present is
a dangerous place to live
possibility remains what moves us
we are all involved
indifference would simply be
evidence of the will to die
or trying to straddle some fence
that no one has ever seen

together we can and must
rehabilitate our wounded dreams
to reclaim and nourish the song
of the quality of our vibrant being
as evidence of how it is to be alive

Indeed, the possibility of transformation, economic recovery, and sound, ethical, compassionate and accountable government is what inspires us in this ANC led Gauteng City Region to rehabilitate our wounded dreams.

Now is the time of possibility when we must join hands with all who care about our province and our people.

Now is the time to nourish our song that tells of the new dawn premised on equity and social justice, the new dawn that puts the primacy of human well-being above all else.

I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to:
• Premier David Makhura for his steadfast leadership and his enduring vision of hope, renewal and change in our province;
• My Colleagues in the Executive Council, and the MMCs of Finance in Municipalities, for the strong bonds of co-operation and shared commitment to public service;
• The Honourable Members of this house and in particular the Finance Portfolio Committee, under the able leadership of Honourable Sakhiwe Khumalo for their oversight and advice;
• Team Treasury under the firm and consistent leadership of Ms. Nomfundo Tshabalala who always strive for more effectiveness, and efficiency in the leadership in our public finances; 
• The citizens of Gauteng who have given me an opportunity to serve; and lastly,
• My family: Geeta, Sean and Kwanda whose constructive criticism and support, motivates me each and every day.

I thank you