EDITORS VIEW: THERE are good reasons to live in KwaZulu-Natal and it’s not just about the sun, the surf, the mountains and the bunny chow. This week Ina Cronje, the MEC for Finance, tabled her provincial budget. For those living in the province there’s is a lot to be positive about. For starters, the provincial economy is growing. This year it is expected to grow by two-and-a-half percent. Next year the projection is three-and-a-half percent. We’re also creating jobs. Between October 2012 and December 2013 our province created 128 000 jobs – the second highest in the country. This year KwaZulu-Natal is expected to generate R322 billion making it the second biggest economy in the country after Gauteng. And yes, we have a bigger economy than the Western Cape. Here is another positive – our province has a positive bank balance. That means we earn interest on money we have in the bank rather than paying interest on loans. KwaZulu-Natal is also the fastest growing destination for tourism in the country. Inflation last year averaged 5.2 percent which is lower than the national average. Simply put it is cheaper to live in KwaZulu-Natal than some other provinces. But as MEC Cronje points out, we need to spend the money wisely. As a result, several cost containment measures have been put in place. They include: - No furniture or equipment must be bought unless it is a critical requirement for service delivery. - Keep overseas trips to a minimum. - Business class travel is allowed only for MECs and department heads. - When hiring cars the class of vehicle must be lowered. - Unnecessary overnight accommodation must be eliminated. - Catering for meetings must be stopped. - Meetings must be held in department offices and not private venues. - No bottled water may be bought for meetings unless a health risk exists. - No team building exercises or year end functions may be held unless paid for by staff. - No promotional items may be purchased. - Overtime must be strictly controlled. There are many government departments that are frustrating to deal with. But National Treasury is a department we can all be proud of. And clearly what Pravin Gordhan has done on a national level has rubbed off on Ina Cronje. No wonder South Africa ranks second out of 100 countries for the transparency and accountability of its budget processes.
Posted on: Wed, 12 Mar 2014 07:44:05 +0000
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