Jeff Radebe tells Treasury what is required for NDP
7 September 2017
Cape Town – The Presidency issued a "mandate paper" in a bid to "guide" Treasury on what priorities to pursue in its budgeting process.
Minister in the Presidency Jeff Radebe on Thursday announced a mandate paper "to guide budget allocations in line with the National Development Plan (NDP)".
The mandate paper was approved by Cabinet in August. Radebe said the NDP’s objective is to eradicate poverty and reduce inequality by 2030 through the creation of jobs and accelerating inclusive economic growth.
"It is critical that government uses all the instruments at its disposal to drive job creation and growth. The annual government budget, totalling R1.6 trillion in 2017-18 allocates resources to the various activities of government and is central to making our plans a reality," said Radebe.
"The need for the corrective and structural intervention, such as the mandate paper, is to enhance the precision and targeting of budget allocation to NDP objectives through the identification annually of a set of priorities, reflective of objective assessment and conditions at the time."The priorities for the 2018 budget are: Job creation and small business development; Youth development; Infrastructure expansion and maintenance; Land reform, smallholder farmer and agriculture development; Comprehensive social security, education and skills; The integrated plan to fight crime; and Advancing the South African national interest in SADC, Africa BRICS and the Indian Ocean Rim Association.
There is furthermore plans to limit expenditure, including combating collusion and an insistence on good governance and penalties for lapses in governance by withholding transfers and guarantees.
DA spokesperson on finance David Maynier said in reaction to the announcement, "What concerns me is that the Minister in the Presidency, Jeff Radebe, appears to have executed a ‘power grab’ that has reduced the Minister of Finance, Malusi Gigaba, and National Treasury to mere book keepers, when it comes to the main budget for 2018/19."
Radebe said the department of planning, monitoring and evaluation (DPME) has a longstanding relationship with treasury. His deputy, Buti Manamela, said there won’t be a competition between DPME and treasury.
“The resources seems not to follow the plan. The mandate paper is to ensure that the resources follow the plan,” Manamela said.
