Durban - KwaZulu-Natal lawmakers have demanded provincial government fully spend allocated funds and follow procedures while doing so.
This emerged when the legislature heard that the provincial departments spent 99.4% of their R104 billion budget in the 2015-16 financial year.
The call comes amid a growing clamour for the heads those who fail to do their duties to roll.
MPLs across the political spectrum are increasingly annoyed with officials who flout laws governing public finances, but face no consequence from their supervisors.
In a report tabled to the legislature, 14 of the 15 departments underspent by R650 million, with R109m being in infrastructure and the conditional grants underspent by a total of R71.9m.
The departments of agriculture, co-operative governance and traditional affairs, transport, social development and arts and culture were among the culprits.
The public entities underspent by R617m, with R364m being on infrastructure and R16.3m on conditional grants.
During a debate, MPLs were adamant that underspending and over-expenditure should stop.
Finance portfolio committee chairman Sipho Nkosi said departments should spend their allocations if they were to avoid losing money to national Treasury.
“That’s why we call for strong consequence management. We are not to compromise on that one,” he said.
The ANC’s Amon Zondi said under-expenditure undermined the mandate of the ANC to deliver services to the people of KwaZulu-Natal.
“We take serious offence because that is a grave contradiction,” he said, referring to departments that had asked for more funding.
The DA’s Francois Rodgers said the under-expenditure showed all the signs of a failed state in need of a complete overhaul.
“It remains a cardinal sin when budgets are concluded to address economic development, service delivery and job creation, there continue to be departments that lack capacity, leadership and accountability,” he said.
The IFP’s Lourens de Klerk said it could not be that the same problem was experienced yearly without real change.
“We owe it to the people of KZN.
“It is time government officials are held responsible and accountable. There must be consequences if they do not do their jobs,” De Klerk said.
Condemning the underspending, the EFF’s Vusi Khoza said: “It is abdication of responsibility by officials and political heads of affected departments.”
Daily News