'WE MUST PROVE OURSELVES WORTHY OF PUBLIC TRUST' MEC MAKUME

MEC Ketso Makume

By: Staff Reporter

The MEC for Finance, Tourism and Economic Development, Ketso Makume, officially declared the Lekgotla opened for the EXCO Provincial Budget Lekgotla held at Imvelo Safari Lodge on Tuesday 17.

MEC Makume in his opening remarks urged delegates to tighten their belts and apply their expertise to advance the interests of the people of the Free State.

These sentiments are made 3 days before the State of the Province Address (SOPA), which will be held on Friday at the Old Grey Sports Groud.

"We must remain mindful of the prevailing fiscal constraints. Provincial resources continue to be under significant pressure. The reality before us is that the envelope is limited, while the needs of our people are vast. This compels us to do more with less. Every rand allocated must yield measurable impact. Every programme must demonstrate value for money. Every intervention must translate into tangible service delivery outcomes for the people of the Free State,” said MEC Makume.

He emphasised the importance of a purpose-driven Lekgotla and the need for sound, well-considered decisions that respond directly to the needs of communities across the province.

Highlighting the prevailing fiscal constraints, MEC Makume called on departments to ensure that their plans are aligned not only with available budgets but also with the key priorities of the province and the Free State Growth and Development Strategy (FSGDS).

The Lekgotla is primarily convened to assess progress made by departments in implementing priorities agreed upon during the previous session.

It also serves to identify and deliberate on strategic priorities to be pursued over the forthcoming Medium-Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) period.

The budget tabling was followed by deliberations from members of the executive council.

The collapse of municipalities emerged as a focal point.

Revenue collection challenges and weaknesses in the Municipal Local Economic Development (LED) plans were highlighted to requiring urgent intervention and support to improve the overall ailing state of local governance in the province.