Creating an efficient state is critical – but we still need a plan to protect the most vulnerable
Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana placed a strong emphasis on improving the efficiency of the South African state in the delivery of the Medium Term Budget Policy Statement today.
But he has provided little detail on how exactly he will be protecting South Africa’s most vulnerable citizens when it comes to their health and education needs.
In delivering the policy statement today, Godongwana said the country was trending in the right direction by doubling growth, improving revenue collection and working on the general efficiency of government. And he emphasised the importance of providing support to low-income and vulnerable households through education, health, and social protection initiatives.
“The lion’s share of consolidated non-interest spending, approximately 61% over the next three years, continues to fund the basket of government-provided services and benefits that reduce the cost of living for our citizens,” he said.
He added: “Honourable Members, eliminating waste and inefficiency in government is non-negotiable if we are to maintain public trust that tax money is spent responsibly.”
While the Rural Health Advocacy Project welcomes the acknowledgement by the minister of the challenges in delivering services, we remain concerned about a lack of direction on how to protect the most vulnerable as he implements targeted and responsible savings initiatives, said RHAP Executive Director Russell Rensburg.
Rensburg acknowledged that earlier this year the Special Appropriations Bill was tabled allocating an additional R700m to provide additional support to provide to cover funding gaps by the withdrawal of US funds.
“But there is a big gap in terms of what is needed,” said Rensburg.
Rensburg added that support for South Africa’s HIV and TB programme is still not sufficiently funded to meet their strategic objectives.
However, the programme has only received in the region of R800 million, and the TB programme has an annual shortfall of R600million.
“To protect the gains that we have made, we need strong prioritisation and alignment between all implementers. This includes the government,” said Rensburg.
“As we look to improve the efficiency of the state through TARS, we need to ensure that we are sufficiently funded to meet the goals of these programmes,” he added.
For more information or for interviews contact
Admire Maluleke
Admire.Maluleke@rhap.org.za
+27 79 403 4562
Palesa Chidi
tchidi@rhap.org.za
+27 78 625 0511