Mpumalanga premier David Mabuza came down hard on service providers for overcharging government.

Delivering his state of the province address on Friday, Mabuza said while his government was doing well in cost cutting, the department of public works needed to investigate prices from service providers before awarding contracts.

"We are pleased with the progress that we have made with respect to honing our skills and cutting our costs.

The province in many ways pre-empted recent calls for cost curtailment and continues its proactive shift away from a consumptive narrative towards one that has the delivery of services as its apex priority.

We are continuing to release more money from the salary bill to fund infrastructure and service delivery initiatives."

He added that the department of public works, roads and transport was instructed to conduct an assessment of the pricing and service models of service providers .

Mabuza further said the provincial government would support targeted learning and skills development opportunities for public servants in partnership with a number of tertiary institutions.

"Over and above technical skills, we need a cadre of officials that is driven by the servant-leadership narrative that is at the core of a capable and effective public service.

"In the current socio-economic context, there is no room for officials who seek to enrich themselves under the guise of public service," Mabuza said.