CAPE TOWN – In his second Medium-term Budget Policy Statement (MTBPS) Finance Minister Tito Mboweni announced the reprioritisation of R2.3 billion to bolster the country’s fight against corruption and improve revenue collection.
The Minister told Parliament that through reprioritisation, the National Prosecuting Authority would receive an additional R1.3 billion, and the South African Revenue Service would receive an additional R1 billion for the next two years.
“These funding shifts will bolster efforts to combat corruption and improve revenue collection. Earlier this month, Cabinet approved that over 14 000 hectares of land will be released for human settlements development. National Treasury has reviewed the procurement regulatory framework and developed a Public Procurement Bill. It will be submitted to Parliament in due course,” said Mboweni.
Explaining the rationale behind the reprioritisation Mboweni said the state could use its budget better. “For example, the South African National Defence Force buys more than R900 million worth of food a year. Operation Koba Tlala, or ‘chase away the hunger’ is a deliberate action to buy this food from nearby suppliers.
“Where possible, given budgetary constraints, the government is shifting resources to areas that urgently need to strengthen capacity. We are making progress on improving the efficiency of the state,” said Mboweni
The Minister also told Parliament that since South Africa re‐joined the community of nations in 1994 it had played its part in advancing the peaceful international order. “In these fiscally constrained times, we must relook at the strategic value of international memberships.”