Gauteng Finance MEC, Lebogang Maile, tabled a R3.3 billion adjustment budget in the Provincial Legislature early Tuesday, directing significant funds to health and education while launching a new digital procurement system.
Presenting the 2025 Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement and Adjustment Budget, Maile stated the province’s total budget is adjusted upwards to approximately R175 billion. He emphasized the government’s continued focus on protecting key social services.
“The total adjustment is R3.3 billion, which includes the rollovers, national and provincial funding,” Maile said. He outlined that the additional funds are aimed at “stabilizing frontline departments and strengthening service delivery.”
A substantial portion of the adjustment, R2.2 billion, is allocated directly to provincial departments. The largest beneficiaries are Health, receiving an extra R1.19 billion, and Education, receiving R507.8 million. The Office of the Premier is allocated an additional R33.9 million, with R30.8 million earmarked to honour outstanding claims from the Life Esidimeni mental health users project and R2.8 million for filling critical posts.
The official opposition, however, expressed reservations. Democratic Alliance (DA) finance spokesperson, Ron Robinson, acknowledged the adjustment as “one of the stronger adjustment budgets, especially for health and education,” but raised concerns over the province’s wider fiscal health.
Robinson noted the injection still falls short of fully addressing Gauteng’s projected R3.9 billion deficit. He highlighted a carry-over of more than R4 billion in accruals from the previous financial year, mostly from the health department, which remain uncovered.
“The province would like to see more certainty that those accruals would actually be covered,” Robinson stated. He further criticized provincial expenditure on non-provincial infrastructure, arguing, “If the province did not use R5.5 billion of its own provincial funding for e-tolls to service highways that do not belong to the province, then certainly that money could have been used better to get rid of the accruals.”
Alongside the budget adjustments, MEC Maile used the occasion to launch the provincial government’s new e-procurement platform, “Tender Swift.” The platform is designed to digitize and automate tender processes in an effort to enhance transparency and efficiency.
The adjustment budget now moves for consideration by the Gauteng Legislature.