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Proper provincial planning

HAPPY SMILE: Limpopo Premier Sello Moloto. Pic. Sydney Seshibedi. 11/08/05. © Sunday Times.
HAPPY SMILE: Limpopo Premier Sello Moloto. Pic. Sydney Seshibedi. 11/08/05. © Sunday Times.

Alex Matlala

Alex Matlala

Limpopo could soon be eating pasta instead of pap if this year's good expenditure of its departments is anything to go by.

The good news is that figures from the Limpopo Treasury indicated that government departments spent little compared to this time last year.

Statistics showed that the provincial government expenditure stands at 44,4% this year while last year around the same time the departments had spent 46,5% of their budgets, a marked and well applauded improvement of 2,1% this year.

"This improved performance is largely attributed to proper and focused planning on the part of provincial departments and other institutions of government," remarked the MEC for Provincial Treasury Saad Cachalia yesterday.

"The provincial departments are also performing well in terms of implementation of infrastructure development projects, and indications are that if this expenditure trend continues we may be running the risk of overspending come March next year," Cachalia added.

In the light of this expenditure trend, the executive council took a decision to reprioritise by cutting the spending on other noncore items so that more resources could be channeled towards service delivery.

To that effect the executive council has placed a moratorium on the filling of all noncore posts in the provincial government.

Spokesman for the Limpopo government, Mogale Nchabeleng, said the only posts that would be filled were those commensurate with the core function of a department, which include professional posts such as doctors, nurses, educators, police and engineers. "The other austerity measures put in place include cutting back on international missions, purchase of state vehicles and IT consumables such as computers. Workshops, symposiums and year-end functions are not an exception," Nchabeleng said.

The report was applauded by Premier Sello Moloto, who said the general expenditure of all government departments was something to smile about.

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