Nehawu worried about state spending pattern

THE NATIONAL Education Health and Allied Workers Union (Nehawu) said it was deeply worried about the spending patterns of the current administration.

This comes after the report of Auditor-General Kimi Makwetu on the national and provincial department audits, and the Statistics SA Financial Statistics of Consolidated General Government for the 2014/15 fiscal year, painted a bleak picture of how taxpayers’ money was spent.

Released last week, StatsSA’s Financial Statistics of Consolidated General Government said the government was spending more money on paying its employees than providing goods and basic services.

The report showed the government spending on compensation of employees increased by over R40 billion from R473bn in the 2013/14 fiscal year to R514bn in the 2014/15 fiscal year.

Nehawu said the government was spending more on paying salaries than on social benefits.

In a statement yesterday, Nehawu general secretary Bereng Soke said the union had, throughout the years, continuously called for immediate and stringent measures to be put in place in the procurement process as set out from the constitutional requirements of supply chain management.

“The flouting of constitutional amendments cannot continue unabated while those tasked with dispensing service delivery are pre-occupied with misusing public funds that are meant to contribute to the betterment of lives of the working class and the poor,” Soke said.

“It baffles us that 49 percent of the government’s spending is directed at paying salaries while a meagre 51 percent is directed at funding the provision of goods and services.

“This further necessitates the re-opening of the debate on the downsizing of our bloated cabinet and administration.”

Soke said they were calling for more resources to be redirected towards funding both higher and basic education, implementation of the National Health Insurance, improving sanitation and the supply of clean water, as well as research and investment into alternative energy and infrastructure development. – ANA