Pretoria: The North West Provincial Government has firmly refuted allegations that it will return R383 million to the National Treasury from its 2024/25 financial year budget, following reports that suggested otherwise.

According to South African Government News Agency, the dispute arose after an opposition party highlighted that, despite most provincial departments spending between 98% and 99% of their allocated budgets, the province was still underspending by a significant R383 million. The opposition party cited considerable shortfalls in key departments and demanded accountability from the provincial government.

In response, the North West Provincial Government clarified that preliminary audit outcomes for 2024/25 revealed that 99.29% of its R54.2 billion budget was utilized, amounting to a total expenditure of R53.9 billion. The government emphasized this as an improvement over the previous financial year, with only two departments falling below a 95% spending threshold.

The provincial government elab
orated that the under-expenditure of R383 million, which includes R176 million from the equitable share, will not be returned but retained by the province. Additionally, it stated that approximately R207 million will roll over into the 2025/26 financial year.

Furthermore, the government announced that the National Treasury has already approved R172 million of these funds for re-appropriation through the November adjustment budget. These funds are earmarked for infrastructure projects aimed at addressing service delivery challenges and fostering socio-economic opportunities for local communities.

The North West Provincial Government concluded by dismissing claims circulating in mainstream and social media that the R383 million would be returned to the National Treasury.