Johannesburg – The DA said on Wednesday that according to a reply from the Gauteng Provincial Treasury, the Gauteng Department of Health took, on average, 66 days to pay suppliers for work done.
The DA said that in monetary terms this translated into R 4,3 billion in unpaid invoices and losses to companies.
"Despite hollow commitments from both Premier David Makhura, during his State of the Province Address, and [Finance] MEC Barbara Creecy, during her Budget Speech, to put measures in place to ensure that the 30-day payment regulation is complied with, specifically at the Health Department, which remains a wholly problematic Department, the situation has not changed,"
DA Gauteng spokesperson for Finance Adriana Randall said in a statement. "The failure by the Department of Health to pay its invoices within the stipulated 30 days, not only undermines Provincial and National Treasury regulations, but it also amounts to writing a death certificate for small, medium and micro enterprises (SMMEs) which depend on a regular and punctual income stream for the work that they do for the ANC-run Gauteng Provincial Government."
Randall said that SMMEs were renowned economic and change drivers, which played an important role in creating jobs and building an inclusive and growing economy.
"It is clear that the ANC in Gauteng has no interest in creating jobs and growing the economy but is committed to its directionless, job-killing, Gupta-mandated policy of so-called radical economic transformation," she said.
"The people of Gauteng deserve a DA-led Gauteng Government that is caring and responds to the needs of the people and the economy."