Poor financial performances will see Gauteng departments focus on improving financial management, but decisions on the province's biggest IT projects are still pending.
Premier Nomvula Mokonyane said the province would implement stricter accountability measures to address financial mismanagement in the province. Each department would be tasked with drawing up a programme of action to deal with management challenges.
Only the plans drawn up by the departments of finance and health will reveal what will happen with the two biggest IT contracts in the province - broadband infrastructure programme Gauteng Link and the health smart card.
While Mokonyane noted the need for transparency and public accountability in the management of public funds, it is still unclear how major IT projects in the province will be affected.
Earlier this month, finance MEC Mandla Nkomfe stated that, while provincial spending would increase, most projects would be reprioritised. Speaking during his medium-term-budget presentation, Nkomfe said only core projects would receive funding. Non-core projects would have to be suspended until funding is made available.
Provincial spending would go up by R55 million, to R58 million in the 2009/10 financial year. The R100 million allocated for provincial IT infrastructure programmes earlier in the year would not be affected. Along with R164 million set aside for the Intelligent Transport Management System, Gauteng Online will receive R350 million and Blue IQ would still receive R314 million.
Pending projects
The Department of Finance, in its programme of action, will reveal what will happen with the long-awaited Gauteng Link project.
The project, also known as Blue Umbrella, was transferred to the Gauteng Shared Services Centre (GSSC) from the Blue IQ in the 2008/9 financial year, and has been delayed for almost three years.
The GSSC previously stated no budget has been allocated and, while the business case is complete, the project has yet to be approved. The agency added that final approvals were in progress and any timelines for the project would only be determined once final approval is granted.
Mokonyane noted that all departments were restructured as part of plans to improve financial management. Resources would accordingly be shifted from non-core to core projects and budgets would be reprioritised, said Mokonyane.
Large-scale projects, such as the Department of Health's smart card project, were suspended following reallocation projects. The department, however, is yet to confirm what the status of the project is. It says it is in the process of restructuring, and funding would only be made available once the project was selected as a core project.
Nkomfe previously announced new programmes that would be deemed core projects. As part of the province's hospital revitalisation plans, additional funding would be allocated to the modernising of health technology and hospital management systems.
Fighting waste
Mokonyane says lack of service delivery and wastage in the province are the main concerns and more had to be done to change this.
In an effort to step up the province's crime-fighting initiatives, Nkomfe previously stated R3.1 million would be allocated to the creation of a public liaison hotline. The service would form part of the province's anti-corruption strategy.
Nkomfe said the province would also look to improve governance and implement a province-wide monitoring and evaluation framework. An e-Cabinet system, to provide resources and support, would be implemented at a cost of R731 000.
“We will be expecting better accountability from our officials, especially those in senior positions. MECs will be more hands-on and they will be held accountable for the financial management of departments,” Mokonyane says.
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