Pretoria - The North West MEC for Finance Paul Sebegoe says measures have been put in place to deal with the non-spending of infrastructure budget allocations by provinces.
Delivering the Provincial Budget in the North West Legislature on Tuesday, Sebegoe said to improve quality spending, the application process for an infrastructure grant was being revised and provinces would be required to submit building plans two years ahead of implementation.
These projects would only receive allocations if the plans met certain benchmarks.
“If the spending patterns of the past three years persist, there will be dire consequences for the province unless urgent, strategic interventions are put in place to mitigate against these undesirable levels of spending,” said Sebegoe.
He said the province was concerned with the slow spending on conditional grants and infrastructure which impacts on service delivery.
Infrastructure development was the cornerstone of the province’s economic growth and sustainability. As a result, the slow spending on these grants remained a challenge to economic growth and must be tackled.
“The Executive Council has resolved on the roll out of best practices and methods on Infrastructure Delivery Improvement Programme in 2007 and had recently adopted the use of the Infrastructure Delivery Management System in 2012,” said Sebegoe.
In order for the province to have a deficit in the tourism economic spin offs, Sebegoe said there was a need to improve the conditions of roads in the province, such that visitors from other provinces can enjoy their stay in the province. - SAnews.gov.za
