Education and health get bigger slices of Gauteng government’s budget

Nkosi-Malobane guns for criminals

Here is budget votes of the MECs at a glance.

Education, MEC Panyaza Lesufi

The department’s budget increased from R39-billion in 2016/17 to R40.8-billion in this financial year, receiving an increase of R1.8-billion.

Key priorities include continuing pro-poor interventions at some schools.

The interventions include nutrition, scholar transport, no-fee schools, extra school support programme, school safety programme and school sports.

Of the allocated budget, almost R1.4-billion will go towards these interventions.

The budget will also address the backlog of classrooms, refurbishment and maintenance of schools as well as providing ICT-compliant infrastructure to cater for e-learning methods.

MEC for Ramokgopa Health Gwen

Her budget allocation for this financial year amounts to R40.2-billion which translates into a 1% increase.

Ramokgopa said that her department will remain focused on working with the affected families to restore the dignity of mental health care users, and in this financial year it will ensure three critical inputs are implemented.

She said for the department’s allocation, R23.8-billion has been set aside for compensation of employees, R15.7-billion will go towards subsidies and transfers to municipalities, universities, NPOs (nonprofit organisations) and other areas.

The remaining R14.8-billion is for goods and services provided by the department.

The pressures of litigations, accruals and commitments leaves about R3.9-billion available for the rest of goods and services in this financial year.

Community Safety, MEC Sizakele Nkosi-Malobane

HerallocationisR678 465-million and top on her list is to fight crime, intensify substance abuse prevention programmes, intervention in taxi violence and disciplined law enforcemnet officers.

She will deploy 220 traffic officers at 40 identified underperforming police stations to assist with crime prevention, particular the routine stop and searches.

This will be done with the view to cut crime and road traffic fatalities by 50%.

Citizens will also be inconvenienced as the one traffic pull over will now include the prevention of crime activities round the clock every day.

Lebogang Maile, MEC for Economic Development, Environment, Agriculture and Rural Development

His allocation for environment, agriculture and rural development is at R916-million, while for economic development is R1.4-billion.

With the economic development budget Maile intends to create and save jobs.

The focus will be in building industries such as manufacturing, building of factories, renovating some industrial hubs in the townships, and innovations.

He also plans to assist more than 150 black industrialists in developing their businesses, while continuing to help the small businesses.

Of his R916-million allocation, R487 848-million will go to agriculture and rural development programmes, R239 736-million for environmental affairs and the R189 016-million for department’s operational needs.