MEC Gadija Brown delivers Free State Provincial 2024 MTEF Budget Speech

Photo: Free State Provincial MEC For Finance Gadija Brown

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By: Staff Reporter

MEC for Fiance Gadija Brown delivered the provincial 2024 MTEF budget speech, held at the Chamber of the Fourth Raadsaal Building, Bloemfontein on Wednesday, 06.

The MTEF budget of the Free State province from 2019 to 2024 amounted to R200.9 billion which averages a budget of R40.18 billion per annum.

The conditional grants allocated to the province for the 5 years amount to R43 billion which on average R8.6 billion year on year.

MEC noted the department of health is allocated a total of R3.975 billion, which caters for, amongst others, infrastructure delivery, HIV and AIDS programmes, NHI, and training of health personnel.

Education is allocated R1.764 billion, to implement the programmes associated to infrastructure delivery, school nutrition, special needs schools and early development.

Agriculture and Rural Development will receive R262.969 million, to provide comprehensive support to farmers and cater for poverty relief and infrastructure challenges.

The allocation to Community Safety, Roads and Transport totals R2.314 billion, and caters for provincial roads maintenance and payments of subsidy for public bus transport.

Sports, Arts, Culture and Recreation will receive R229.286 million, for the community library services and sports development.

Department of Social Development, Public Works and Infrastructure as well as Economic and Small Business Development will spent R9.576 million, in 2024/25 implementing EPWP programmes.

These allocations include R34.479 million earmarked for implementation of the Expanded Public Works programmes in the province.

Brown reiterated that the implementation of these programmes will be delivered by various departments coordinated and supported by the department of Public Works and Infrastructure.

“Drafting of the 2024 budget has been a very difficult exercise considering the fiscal headwinds brought to bear by several factors, amongst them, is the growing debt service cost that chokes the economy and the public finances. Going forward it becomes more urgent to work towards stabilization of debt and narrowing the budget deficit. The province thus appreciates the balance approach to fiscal consolidation that includes expenditure restraint on non-core programmes and provision of support for critical services, especially those that are posed to reverse the challenge of unemployment, poverty and inequality,” said Brown.

She reiterated that her department worked hard in the past few months to ensure that the budget presented is a product of a consultative process.

“I am happy to confirm that the proposed 2024 budget allocations are shaped by the decision emanating from, amongst others, the sectoral meetings at the national level, the Technical Committee on Finance (FFC), the Budget Council, the Budget Forum and Cabinet meetings that involved premiers and MECs responsible for finance,” Brown said.