Gauteng govt increases total projected revenue to R172bn in revised budget

JOHANNESBURG - The Gauteng government has revised its budget, increasing its total projected revenue to R172 billion for the current financial year.

In the previous fiscal period, the province underspent by R1.8 billion.

Following public outcry, a portion of these unspent funds has been rolled over into the current financial year.

Finance MEC Lebogang Maile re-tabled the budget on Tuesday to reflect these adjustments to the province’s annual financial plan.

Of the R1.8 billion unspent in the financial year that ended in March, R1.4 billion came from the provincial equitable share, with the remainder from conditional grants.

Of this amount, R886 million has been returned to the province’s budget and reallocated to the relevant departments.

The province has faced criticism for underspending its budget while service delivery in some areas remains poor.

Maile gave himself a proverbial tap on the shoulder for ensuring that the unspent funds were rolled over.

"These additional resources were made possible through the provincial allocation of unspent funds, but we have also overcollected."

The money will be reallocated to six provincial departments.