The Inkatha Freedom Party calls on the KZN MEC of Finance, Belinda Scott to be tough by ensuring that there is a sharp eye in monitoring of budget spending in all provincial departments in order to eradicate corruption.
“We welcome the budget delivered by the MEC of Finance but as the IFP we feel that it is important that budget spending is monitored in order to ensure that all budgets are spent wisely in terms of what they are budgeted for. It is a well-known fact that many departments are continuing to fall victims of failing to spend their budgets which results to fiscal dumping towards the end of the financial year and this has a negative impact in providing service delivery,” said IFP KZN Provincial Spokesperson on Finance, Mr Lourens de Klerk MPL.
“While appreciating the fact that corruption can never be eradicated as long as we have human beings around, ideal societies try to minimise it so that it does not stand in the way of national development nor deprive the masses of what is due to them. The misuse of public funds and corruption provides the moral justification for tax evasion and lead to low quality of public services. The IFP believes that wasteful expenditure is also the biggest financial risk to KwaZulu-Natal at present and is exacerbated by the scourge of corruption in the public sector. Under expenditure is always of serious concern. The KZN government consistently blames budget constraints for the woefully inadequate and haphazard provision of essential services like transport for school pupils.” continued Mr de Klerk.
“The IFP would also like to see the MEC being tough on incompetent public servants whose actions result in departments failing to fulfil their mandates. Disciplining employees is part of a manager’s job. If they are not equipped to handle this, they should be removed. One of the core leadership competencies is the ability to exercise sound judgement and make appropriate decisions, including disciplinary decisions. In the public service, we demand these competencies, and must give managers the opportunity to exercise them. We must provide the basic management tools to drive a high performance culture throughout government, “concluded Mr de Klerk.
The IFP wants to see commitment in increasing budgets to incentivizing small business development by investing in support programmes for SMME’s , and cutting red tape to assist and simplify the entry of new players in the economy and to allow the free market to thrive to enable economic growth.
Issued by:
Mr Lourens de Klerk
IFP KZN Provincial Spokesperson on Finance
082 557 1579