Gauteng govt discloses that only 4 of 11 municipalities tabled funded budgets

JOHANNESBURG - The Gauteng government has disclosed that only four of its eleven municipalities tabled funded budgets for the upcoming financial year.

A funded budget refers to one where projected revenue is sufficient to cover all planned expenditures.

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Only the municipalities of Tshwane, Johannesburg, Midvaal, and Mogale City are expected to generate enough revenue to meet their expenses.

Delivering his budget speech on Tuesday, Finance MEC Lebogang Maile said this was a cause for concern.

"We have stated repeatedly that fiscal discipline requires that municipalities maintain fiscal positions that are consistent with macroeconomic stability and sustained economic growth. To reinforce fiscal discipline, the Gauteng provincial government and Gauteng municipalities must fund their requirements within the set budget ceilings. This necessitates large-scale budget reprioritisation, making trade-offs, and a drive to identify efficiency gains - all with the aim of enhancing the credibility of the provincial and municipal budgets."