Limpopo gets six-month handover

Cabinet has approved the start of a process to hand back administration of certain provincial departments to Limpopo, acting government spokeswoman Phumla Williams said on Monday.

 

This followed a briefing to Cabinet on progress made on the interventions that followed five of the province's departments -- education, health, public works, treasury, and roads and transport -- being placed under central government administration in December 2011.

 

Williams told journalists in Pretoria, following Cabinet's fortnightly meeting last Wednesday, that the province's financial situation had improved dramatically.

 

"As of July 31 [this year], the credit balance was R3.3 billion, compared to an overdraft of R1.7 billion in December 2011.

 

"Having appreciated the corrective measures put in place in the five departments that are under administration, Cabinet approved that the ministerial committee can commence the six-month transitional process of handing over the administration of Limpopo to the premier and his new executive," she said.

 

Cabinet had agreed that further investigations "should continue on matters that seek to establish irregularities, and where people are found to have [flouted] procurement procedures, the due disciplinary processes will take effect".

 

Williams said the task team appointed by national government uncovered "a lot of irregularities in as far as financial procurement is concerned", and that dealing with these had gone a long way towards restoring the province to solvency.

 

She said the national government still faced problems in completing the clean-up in the province, notably in the public works department.

 

"There are still issues in public works and they are still working tirelessly to make sure that they address the issues that are still pending."

 

Williams did not respond to questions about how much money the national government poured into the province to balance its books.

 

The ministerial committee would hold a briefing on the matter "at an appropriate time" and give further details.

 

"What we want to say, as government, is that the exercise has been a useful exercise and we hope that some of the deficiencies that we picked up in Limpopo are going to be lessons that we actually apply as we look at governance in government as a whole," Williams said.

 

-Sapa