KwaZulu-Natal Premier Thamsanqa Ntuli has unveiled the province’s new Provincial Financial Recovery Plan (PFRP), a multi-year initiative aimed at restoring fiscal stability, tightening oversight and strengthening long-term service delivery.
Speaking at the launch in Durban on Wednesday, Ntuli said the 2025–2029 plan targets annual savings of R1.5 billion through structured reforms, improved financial discipline and stricter controls across all departments.
“Where waste exists, it will be eliminated. Where processes are inefficient, they will be reformed,” Ntuli said.
The briefing, held at the Marine Building, was attended by Members of the Executive Council, legislators, and senior government officials.
Objectives to drive fiscal recovery
The PFRP is underpinned by seven key strategic objectives designed to stabilise the provincial fiscus and safeguard essential services, and these include:
• Restoring fiscal stability through reduced overspending and improved financial discipline across departments.
• Achieving targeted savings of R1.5 billion annually via cost-containment and efficiency measures.
• Protecting core service delivery in essential sectors such as Health, Education, Transport, and Social Development.
• Strengthening revenue optimisation by improving collection systems and enabling departments to generate additional revenue.
• Reducing and optimising expenditure through value-for-money procurement, office-space rationalisation, and digital systems.
• Leveraging information technology for real-time financial monitoring and improved decision-making.
• Strengthening Communication to restore public and investor confidence in the province’s governance.
Ntuli emphasised that the success of the plan will depend heavily on the leadership of Heads of Department and the commitment of public servants.
He said the province will introduce structured institutional capacity-building programmes to ensure that every official, at every level, is equipped with the skills, tools, and systems required to implement the reforms.
He also called for strengthened performance management and accountability across all levels of government, describing financial recovery as a shared responsibility.
He commended the Provincial Treasury for its pivotal oversight role, emphasising that the department will continue to guide departments toward prudent spending, improved compliance, and long-term institutional resilience.
Treasury emphasises discipline and frontline services
Finance MEC Francois Rodgers said the plan provides a clear roadmap for how the Government of Provincial Unity intends to reduce the province’s debt burden on the KZN fiscus without compromising service delivery.
“Our focus remains on the frontline departments of Education, Health and Social Development. These are at the coal face of service delivery. Ensuring their optimal function forms part of our vision to develop a capable and ethical state. Where there’s no compliance, there has to be consequence management,” Rodgers said.
Provincial departments will be expected to develop their own financial recovery plans over the next year. These must align with value-for-money principles, ensure responsible management of financial resources and clearly define measures to reduce corruption in supply chain management processes, amongst others – SAnews.gov.za
