The MEC for finance, economic development and tourism, Nompumelelo Hlophe, tabled the provincial budget for 2023/24 at the Provincial Legislature March 7.
In her speech, she discussed various issues, including unemployment, infrastructure, economy and tourism.
Hlophe said the total budget appropriated to all votes is R58.7b, of which 78.5% comes from equitable share, 17.3% is from conditional grants and 4.2% from the province’s own revenue. She said the provincial revenue collection has been strong despite the impact of the health crisis these last two years.
Provincial departments collected R1.9b at the end of January 2023, against the 2022/23 annual target of R1.9m. According to her, this indicates an improved performance compared to the same period in the 2021/22 financial year.
“Eight of the 10 employment industries in Mpumalanga recorded job gains in 2022, of which the trade industry was the top job-creating industry. The 62 000 job gains included new jobs from industries such as tourism and the informal economy. We are, however, concerned about the job losses in agriculture, as well as private households, hence Premier Refilwe Mtshweni-Tsipane underlined the importance of prioritising the implementation of the Mpumalanga Economic Reconstruction and Recovery Plan to accelerate efforts of creating jobs for the unemployed, especially young people and women.”
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She said R1.5b is allocated to the Department of Agriculture, Rural Development, Land and Environmental Affairs.
In addition to funds already in the department’s baseline, the 2023 budget further allocated R44m to operationalise the Mpumalanga International Fresh Produce Market upon its completion, R50m to enhance biodiversity management in the province’s nature reserves, and R39m towards the work on the Mkhondo One-stop Shop and implementation of the cannabis project, which is going to be one of the biggest in Mkhondo, and will specialise in items made from marijuana, such as medicines and skin products.
The Department of Economic Development and Tourism is allocated R1.4b to facilitate the implementation of all economic projects highlighted in the State of the Province Address.
The Department of Public Works Roads and Transport receives R5.4b to continue developing and maintaining the road network infrastructure with a specific focus on tourism and coal haulage routes and other built programmes.
The budget of the Office of the Premier increases from R361.8m to R478.1m to provide coherent strategic leadership and co-ordination of policy implementation. The total allocation for the Premier’s Youth Development Fund is R114m.
The Provincial Legislature is allocated R405.2m to deepen democracy through law-making, constituency work and government oversight.
The allocation to the Provincial Treasury also increased from R480.18m to R590.7m.
The Department of Community Safety, Security and Liaison gets R1.7b to continue implementing the provincial crime and safety programme, which includes security in all public facilities.
The Department of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs receives R800.8m to put measures in place that will enable municipalities to fulfill their constitutional mandate and to support the institution of traditional leadership in the province.
The budget of the Department of Education increases from R24.5b to R24.9b.
The Department of Health receives R17.3b to improve primary healthcare and ensure universal access to quality services.
The Department of Culture, Sport and Recreation is allocated R618.1m to promote cultural heritage, including sport, and ensuring social cohesion in the province.
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To enable the Department of Social Development to provide comprehensive and integrated social services that improve the well-being of families and children, R1.6b is allocated to it in the 2023/24 financial year.
She further said R1.6b is allocated to the Department of Human Settlements to facilitate the provision of homes and ensure the security of land tenure for communities.
