KwaZulu-Natal Finance MEC, Francois Rodgers, says the provincial government is working hard to create an enabling environment to facilitate the growth of the economy through practical plans that focus on creating employment. The MEC was tabling the R150.5 billion provincial government budget for the 2024/25 financial year at the provincial legislature in Pietermaritzburg on Thursday. Rodgers said the budget proposals presented, ignites hope in that resources are allocated to bring about direct change to the lives of people. 'It is evident that the provincial government is allocating financial resources to facilitate the journey towards achieving a capable and ethical developmental state. The journey will be a long bumpy road with detours and speed humps but, with the commitment of all politicians and public officials to utilise public funds wisely and effectively in accordance with the Public Finance Management Act, we will not only reach our end destination, but we will arrive with petrol in our tanks,' R odgers said. Good governance Acknowledging the current socio-economic outlook and the direct impact it has on the province and its citizens, the MEC said the current administration has already started to take the necessary tough decisions to turn the tide. 'All government departments and public entities must follow the principles of good governance, good financial management; take a zero-tolerance stance against corruption, fruitless and wasteful expenditure. With tight financial controls, this will allow government to direct more funds towards service delivery.' The MEC also urged the Heads of Departments, including chief executive officers of public entities, chief financial officers, and senior management officials, to share notes on good practice and experiences to improve the public service. 'Government departments, public entities and municipalities must strengthen the monitoring and evaluation of programmes to assess the measurable impact of the programmes over the Medium-Term Expenditure Framewor k (MTEF), and to make the necessary adjustments to improve service delivery,' Rodgers said. Rebuilding the lives of veld fires victims While acknowledging the immense destruction due to recent veld fires that befell various parts of the province, Rodgers said the incident will not stand in the way of government to grow the province's economy. He noted that the destruction impacted people financially and psychologically, and it will take time for those who were affected to recover. 'Government is still assessing the full extent of the damage and the national government will make a determination on whether to declare the incidents as a provincial disaster. Provincial government has allocated resources to rebuild the lives of the victims and reinstate hope in their lives. 'We are extremely encouraged to see that social partners have come closer to partner with government in extending a helping hand to the affected communities. We implore more businesses and social partners to get on board and assist in any way that they are able,' Rodgers said. Source: South African Government News Agency