Spending on infrastructure was the focus of the KZN Budget unveiled by Finance MEC Belinda Scott yesterday.  The MEC had to deal with budget cuts – R12-million cut in road maintenance and cuts to the HIV/Aids TB grants and a drop of R26-million in the Comprehensive Agriculture Support Programme that was supposed to create jobs.

Despite this, the MEC maintained that ‘the development of a Provincial Infrastructure Master Plan for the province is well underway and is being developed with all the infrastructure related authorities. The key infrastructure areas to be focused on are harbours, airports, road, rail, water, sanitation, electricity, ICT, school and health facilities, human settlements, as well as specialist infrastructure to support lead economic sectors in the province.

“Infrastructure development is the foundation for poverty reduction and economic growth in developing countries.
The province is budgeting to spend R15.084 billion in 2017/18, R15.541 billion in 2018/19 and R16.799 billion in 2019/20. This is a considerable injection of funds into the economy and acts as a major stimulus to growth and development.

The largest portion of the provincial budget still goes to the Department of Education which receives 41.2%.

“Having said this, it is important that departments do not construct new infrastructure facilities unless they have sufficient funds to operationalise these when the facilities are completed. Departments are urged to ensure that existing facilities are well maintained and rehabilitated to ensure that our existing government assets, which are essential in delivering government services at grassroots level, do not become dilapidated.”

The largest portion of the provincial budget still goes to the Department of Education which receives 41.2%. The second largest portion of the provincial budget goes to the Department of Health which receives 34.3%. These two budgets make up 75.5% of the provincial budget.
Despite the budget cuts, our commitment to the people of KwaZulu-Natal is that we will protect government’s key priority programmes that are aimed at bringing a better life to all. This is in line with the province’s commitment to achieving the vision of KwaZulu-Natal as a “Prosperous province with a healthy, secure and skilled population, living in dignity and harmony, acting as a gateway to Africa and the world”.