#Budget2016 / Cape Town - Western Cape Finance MEC Ivan Meyer has criticised the national Budget speech for lacking detail on implementing public sector austerity measures.
He also said it maintained a system of centrally managed contracts that deprived Western Cape contractors of economic opportunities.
Pravin Gordhan delivered the budget speech on Wednesday, his first since his reappointment as finance minister following a backlash over President Jacob Zuma’s axing of former finance minister Nhlanhla Nene in December.
While welcoming Gordhan’s intention to cut government expenditure and praising his understanding of the need to create investment confidence and deal with the issue of red tape,
Meyer said that Gauteng-based service providers, rather than those from the Western Cape, were usually appointed for centrally managed contracts.
Meyer also said Gordhan’s plans to cut public sector expenditure did not go far enough. “Reducing the size of overseas delegations with clear instructions from the Treasury; canning business class travel for local and trips abroad; and reviewing VIP protection security budgets for public office bearers is but some of what we would have liked to hear the minister address.”
Meyer also said it was a pity that Gordhan had not explored alternative forms of communication including video conferencing and Skype to reduce travel and meeting costs.
Extending austerity measures to the outsourcing of events would have a huge impact, he said.
“The cost of events should be reduced and the use of government officials at political engagements should be terminated.”
Meyer said cutting the cost of key national outreach programmes was another concern, with the estimated cost of last year’s outreach programme in Oudtshoorn amounting to around R40 million.
Meyer also said he would have liked to have seen more in terms of strengthening governance. “Measures that would advocate appropriate consequences for incurring fruitless and wasteful, irregular and unauthorised expenditure… were not mentioned,” Meyer said.
CAPE ARGUS