​Lerato Mailoane

The Gauteng Provincial Government has to date, spent more than R692 million on township businesses to revitalise local economies.
Addressing a media briefing on the progress that Provincial Treasury is making to implement provincial priorities, MEC for Finance and e-Government, Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko said all government departments and municipalities should to accelerate spending on township-based businesses.  
MEC Nkomo-Ralehoko said  this would revitalise local economies and create jobs particularly for young people during these difficult times.
She said since the beginning of this financial year in April, government has spent more than R692 million procuring goods and services from township-based suppliers. However, the MEC emphasised that more must be done to increase spending on the township economy to meet provincial priorities.  
"One of the main reasons we could not spend more during this period was that bulk procurement during COVID-19 was undertaken by the Department of Health.  In as much as the department succeeded in procuring from black companies, it did not impact on township suppliers.," said MEC Nkomo-Ralehoko.
To ensure that the province accelerate spending on township suppliers, Provincial Treasury will enhance the rollout of supplier development workshops to increase the pool of businesses that can access opportunities in the public sector. 
Economic Development has gazetted the Gauteng Township Economic Development Bill of 2020 to make it easier for SMMEs to access funding and technical (business development) support from government.
The MEC said the department remained committed to improving financial management in the province. She said the Office of the Auditor-General was still conducting audits of departments for 2019/20. Up to so far, Office of the Premier, Provincial Treasury, Gauteng Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs and the Department of Community Safety have received clean audit opinions from the Auditor General for the 2019/20. 
"The departments that achieved unqualified audit opinions are Economic Development, Agriculture and Rural Development, Health, Infrastructure Development, Social Development, Roads and Transport and Sports, Arts, Culture and Recreation," MEC Nkomo-Ralehoko said
The departments of e-Government and Human Settlements received qualified audit opinions in the year under review, while the audit opinion of the Department of Education is still outstanding. 
Nkomo-Ralehoko  said government component, the Gauteng Infrastructure Financing Agency (GIFA) continued to implement the important task of sourcing alternative funding to enhance infrastructure service delivery in this province.