Staff Reporter
Premier Sisi Ntombela has warned the Free State provincial government will closely monitor the use of public funds to ensure transparency and accountability particularly on expenditure related to COVID-19.
She sounded the warning on Thursday when she presented her department’s supplementary budget during a virtual sitting of the provincial Legislature.
“Financial wastage and mismanagement are costly,” Ntombela said.
She said her office welcomes President Cyril Ramaphosa’s recent proclamation giving power to the Special Investigations Unit to probe allegations of misuse of COVID-19 funds in government.
“This we cannot afford, as every cent unaccounted for robs our people of the prospects of a better life,” the premier said.
“The Office of the Premier will ensure that the entirety of government adheres to sound financial management principles.
“We will have no mercy on those that are found to be misusing public funds.”
Ntombela said her office has drawn up a priority list to ensure only critical developmental projects and programmes are implemented to avoid unnecessary expenditure.
“I have directed senior managers in the Office of the Premier to improve on the audit findings of the previous year,” she said.
“The provision of quality services also requires ethical behaviour.
“We will cultivate professional ethical conduct through financial declarations, workshops on constitutional values and principles, and dealing with financial misconduct.”
The premier said trade disruptions due to the national lockdown have resulted in falling consumption and low productivity, leaving many companies struggling with some people losing their jobs.
“The mining, manufacturing, agricultural, retail, financial and tourism sectors of our economy have all been affected,” she bemoaned.
“Companies, factories, farms, banks and tourism establishments have had to temporarily close down.”
But according to Ntombela, the informal sector has been hit the hardest because the people survive on daily cash transactions.
“Faced with the sudden loss of income, many people in this important sector of our economy were forced into unemployment,” she said.
“Poverty has increased and many households have been left without food.”
Ntombela said as part of the government’s modernisation efforts, her office, in partnership with the Central University of Technology, recently launched the Microsoft Artificial Intelligence University Programme.
The programme, which was launched on Tuesday, will be delivered by Gijima.
It is aimed at passing on skills by teaching young multi-disciplined graduates with limited or no work experience to explore various ways of utilising data in order to create the next generation of intelligent solutions.
Ntombela also announced that prominent businessman Lazarus Zim will chair the Premier’s Economic Advisory Council.
Zim will be deputised by Tefetso Phitsane at the helm of the council.
The premier said members of the Economic Advisory Council were drawn from various sectors of the economy including agriculture, manufacturing, tourism, mining, ICT, higher education and labour.