Durban - The KwaZulu-Natal Finance Department is reaching out to communities for their input for next month's provincial budget presentation.
On her next pre-budget road show stop on February 28, Finance MEC Ina Cronjé will visit the uMgungundlovu District at Imbali to interact with people there to get more insight on their needs as she prepares for the March presentation.
The purpose of the pre-budget road shows is to communicate the planned budget allocations, educate and empower communities so that they can make an informed contribution in the shaping of the provincial budget.
Recently, hundreds of local business people and community members in Nongoma raised a mixture of economic development-related challenges, when they engaged with Cronjé.
Nongoma residents asked government for assistance with rubbish collection, provision of electricity, proper roads and water. They also drew attention to a shortage of clinics and ambulance services.
A local businessman, Sbusiso Mkhize said business opportunities in Nongoma are given to people from outside the area.
"We have very few business opportunities here, and the few that come into the area, are given to the people who are not even from here. If the economy of this town has to grow and people benefit in terms of jobs, we must be given a chance to bid and work in our area and that is when local jobs will be created," Mkhize said.
Mayor of Nongoma, Jeremiah Mavundla, said the municipality is doing all it can to satisfy the community with the limited resources it currently has and asked that the municipality be given a chance to roll out its plan to develop the area.
Addressing the community, Cronjé said Nongoma is the hub of Zulu tradition and a beautiful tourist destination which has the potential to attract investment and development.
"The business people of this town need to build their economy while the municipality is creating an enabling environment.
"Although we are here about budget education and consultation, we [also] have to encourage a situation where the municipality works closely with its business community as well as its people.
"Of particular concern to us is that if the municipality is struggling to manage the resources they currently have, they must request Provincial Treasury to help," Cronjé said.
The budget process starts as early as June before the new financial year - that means ten months before the beginning of the financial year.
Various role-players are involved, with the over-arching aim being to ensure that the provincial budget reflects the goals of the government.
There are various ways in which this is achieved and include Provincial Treasury ensuring that the provincial departments take into account the 12 national outcomes, the New Growth Path, the Provincial Growth and Development Strategy and the Provincial Spatial Economic Development Strategy, among others.
When submitting their budgets to Treasury, departments are also asked to ensure that their respective MECs have been involved in the budgeting process as well as the sector Portfolio Committees.
The provincial Treasury also receives direction from the National Minister for Finance, who indicates via various forums, as well as a formal allocation processes what the national priorities are which need to be funded over the Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF). These are then also built into the province's planning processes.
In determining their priorities, departments have imbizos with communities. They also take guidance from President Jacob Zuma's State of the Nation Address and the State of the Province Address.
Provincial Cabinet Lekgotlas also play a significant role in the formulation of the provincial budget.
The MEC for Finance holds various pre-budget road shows that also seek inputs from the communities in terms of the priorities that are being funded by the provincial budget.
These are forums for the communities to express their needs and allow the Treasury to understand the needs of the people, and to ensure that these needs are addressed in the provincial budget.
