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<p>Yesterday South Africa&#8217;s economic engine, the Gauteng province delivered its budget address with the largest beneficiaries being Health and education, both allocated above R45 billion.</p>


Gauteng Education MEC Panyaza Lesufi on 2018 budget, language policy in schools

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<p>The budget cuts to provincial and municipal government grants announced by former finance minister Malusi Gigaba became apparent when Gauteng tabled its latest R121.4 billion budget on Tuesday.</p>


Govt, Pvt Sector partnerships imperative to Gauteng’s growth – Barbara Creecy

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<p>South Africa&#8217;s economic engine, the Gauteng province delivered its budget address with the biggest beneficiaries being health and education, both allocated above R45 billion.</p>


Health, education gets the biggest chunk of #Gauteng budget

<p>Gauteng Finance MEC Barbara Creecy on Tuesday revealed how Africa&#8217;s wealthiest province will fund the vision <a href="http://cnbc.africa/news/southern-africa/2018/02/26/africas-richest-province-state-province-address-gauteng-premier/">Premier David Makhura outlined for Gauteng a week ago</a>.</p>
<p>Creecy tabled a R121.2 billion ($10bn) budget for the 2018/19 financial year in the Gauteng Provincial Legislature. The budget is up R9.1 billion, or 8% on the previous year, a significant increase in tough economic times. The province plans to raise R6 billion of its own revenue this year to compensate for cuts to it equitable share and alleviate spending pressures particularly in the social delivery departments” said the MEC</p>
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<p>MEC Creecy says the budget sets out how the province will fund its commitment to equity and social justice. She adds: it  outlines how the Gauteng government will use its massive procurement spend to improve public facilities, transform the economy and create work.</p>
<p>The biggest beneficiaries of the budget (see table 1) are:</p>
<ul>
<li>The Departments of Health and Education. Its budget increases by R4.4 billion and Education by R3.4. billion.</li>
<li>The Department of Roads and Transport whose budget increases by R700 million this year. In 2018, this Department will begin planning Gauteng’s first new highway since the 1970s, namely the PWV 15.</li>
</ul>
<p>Overall R31.8 billion has been set aside for infrastructure programmes over the next three years which include building new schools, rehabilitating health facilities, upgrading roads, renovating hostels to become family units and building houses and serviced stands.</p>
<p><strong>TABLE 1: 2018 MTEF BUDGET ALLOCATIONS</strong></p>
<table width="604">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td width="268"></td>
<td colspan="3" width="336"><strong>Medium-term estimates</strong></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="268"><strong>R thousand </strong></td>
<td width="111"><strong>2018/19</strong></td>
<td width="103"><strong>2019/20</strong></td>
<td width="123"><strong>2020/21</strong></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="268">Office of the Premier</td>
<td width="111">  702 694</td>
<td width="103">  695 547</td>
<td width="123">  735 712</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="268">Gauteng Provincial Legislature</td>
<td width="111">  715 824</td>
<td width="103">  761 430</td>
<td width="123">  806 130</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="268">Economic Development</td>
<td width="111"> 1 510 450</td>
<td width="103"> 1 587 355</td>
<td width="123"> 1 676 058</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="268">Health</td>
<td width="111"> 46 429 326</td>
<td width="103"> 49 031 984</td>
<td width="123"> 52 415 712</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="268">Education</td>
<td width="111"> 45 220 540</td>
<td width="103"> 47 780 764</td>
<td width="123"> 50 741 196</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="268">Social Development</td>
<td width="111"> 4 983 495</td>
<td width="103"> 5 293 915</td>
<td width="123"> 5 599 412</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="268">Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs</td>
<td width="111">  468 235</td>
<td width="103">  496 588</td>
<td width="123">  527 317</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="268">Human Settlements</td>
<td width="111"> 5 888 425</td>
<td width="103"> 6 117 655</td>
<td width="123"> 6 534 918</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="268">Roads and Transport</td>
<td width="111"> 7 713 818</td>
<td width="103"> 8 269 666</td>
<td width="123"> 7 954 125</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="268">Community Safety</td>
<td width="111">  719 495</td>
<td width="103">  759 694</td>
<td width="123">  805 786</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="268">Agriculture and Rural Development</td>
<td width="111">  957 000</td>
<td width="103"> 1 010 840</td>
<td width="123"> 1 036 994</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="268">Sports, Arts, Culture and Recreation</td>
<td width="111">  942 652</td>
<td width="103">  989 706</td>
<td width="123"> 1 079 675</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="268">e-Government</td>
<td width="111"> 1 273 826</td>
<td width="103"> 1 342 611</td>
<td width="123"> 1 421 333</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="268">Gauteng Provincial Treasury</td>
<td width="111">  796 413</td>
<td width="103">  831 470</td>
<td width="123">  882 786</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="268">Infrastructure Development</td>
<td width="111"> 3 036 964</td>
<td width="103"> 3 122 694</td>
<td width="123"> 3 261 766</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="268"><strong>Total provincial estimates by Vote</strong></td>
<td width="111"><strong> 121 359 156</strong></td>
<td width="103"><strong> 128 091 920</strong></td>
<td width="123"><strong> 135 478 920</strong></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>“The Gauteng Government’s R42.2 billion infrastructure spend has made a major contribution to stimulating economic activity, creating employment and raising living standards in communities across our province over the last four years” said MEC Creecy</p>
<p>The MEC indicated that the province’s research shows that this spend contributed R26 billion to economic activity in Gauteng, increase household income by R15 billion and created or sustained 95 thousand direct and 194 thousand indirect or induced jobs over the past four years.</p>
<p>The MEC said that the Gauteng Provincial Government is proud of its track record in using government’s massive procurement spend to drive meaningful transformation, empowerment, job creation and economic inclusion in the mainstream economy.</p>
<p>“Over the last four years R57.7 billion has been spent on procuring goods and services from 12 041 firms owned by historically disadvantaged individuals. Included in this overall figure are 7488 companies owned by women, and 5539 companies owned by youth and 2145 companies owned by people living with disabilities,” MEC Creecy said.</p>
<p>The MEC noted that in these times of rising direct and indirect taxes, citizens have a right to know that their taxes are put to the best possible use, and that this government is not squandering them through poor financial management or ill-conceived programmes and projects.</p>
<p>“All Gauteng Departments and Municipalities have worked hard to ensure better financial management and greater public accountability in the use of public funds. All provincial departments and entities and all Municipalities can now boast unqualified audits with two thirds of provincial Departments getting clean audits,” said MEC Creecy.</p>
<p>The MEC said that the Open Tender procurement process remains Gauteng&#8217;s flagship programme to ensure systematic elimination of irregular expenditure. To date 75 projects have now progressed successfully through the system. In the coming year, all new departmental tenders will be publicly adjudicated.</p>


How Africa’s richest province – Gauteng plans to fund its new dawn

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<p>Gauteng Finance MEC Barbara Creecy tabled the Gauteng budget for the current financial year and education and Health have once again claimed the lion’s share of the spending, both getting over R45 billion.</p>


How Gauteng plans to deal with listeria

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<p>How is South Africa’s business tourism industry making sure that the economic benefits filter down to all South Africans? This is a question CNBC Africa asked Gauteng MEC for Economic Development, Lebogang Maile.</p>


How much of SA tourism benefits are trickling down?

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<p>CNBC Africa’s Karabo Letlhatlha caught up with the Executive Mayor of Tshwane, Solly Msimanga to talk about Premier David Makhura’s 2018 state of the province address.</p>


Tshwane mayor responds to Gauteng SOPA 2018

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<p>CNBC Africa’s Karabo Letlhatlha spoke to the Gauteng Education MEC, Panyaza Lusufi on state of education following the 2018 state of the province address.</p>


Gauteng to open 17 specialisation schools

Africa’s richest province – State of the Province Address by Gauteng Premier

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<p>Gauteng is hosting the SA Italy Summit for the second time. The Premier of Gauteng, David Makhura spoke to us on the importance of this platform to strengthen SA Italy investment and trade relations.</p>


David Makhura on the importance of small businesses to SA’s growth

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<p>In Africa&#8217;s richest province water is a problem. What are the people in power doing about it?<br />
CNBC Africa&#8217;s Lubabalo Mashiqana went to find out.</p>


Addressing Gauteng’s water challenges

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<p>Lebogang Maile, MEC for Economic Development has officially launched Gauteng’s Provincial Government&#8217;s automated SMMEs Business Services System in Tshwane.</p>


Gauteng SMMEs given a hand up by tech

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<p>On Sunday Gauteng premier congratulated the City of Ekurhuleni on being awarded the highest investment grade by Moody&#8217;s Investor Services. But Gauteng province is the engine room of a faltering South African economy.</p>


David Makhura on Gauteng’s economic outlook

<p>During a visit to Cape Town in 2013, Nigeria’s former president Goodluck Jonathan said it is imperative for Africa’s largest economies to work together. With this in mind it is hardly surprising that Nigeria’s commercial powerhouse, Lagos, and South Africa’s economic hub, Gauteng are on course to sign a Memorandum of Understanding that will formalise trade and investment relations between the two regions. However this is easier said than done. </p>
		
				
		
<p>According to David Makhura, the Premier of Gauteng, only 9 per cent of exports from the region that he governs are destined for West Africa. It is a fact that is difficult to reconcile when you consider that Nigeria, Africa’s largest market can be found in that region. However, it becomes understandable when you remember that Africa has a poor record for intra-regional trade. The World Economic Forum reports that in 2014, Africa had the lowest levels of intra-regional trade in the world at 18 per cent. In Europe on the other hand, that figure stood at 69 per cent. </p>
<p>It is a challenge that the Premier acknowledges. Speaking at a panel discussion in Lagos organised by CNBC Africa, he said, “The national or federal governments in our country are spending a lot of effort talking about increasing Intra-Africa trade.” However, he believes that there’s work to be done at the lower levels of government too. Citing the closeness that that provincial governments have to the real economy, he said, “the next phase of the development of intra-African trade is when governments below the national government really put in some effort and pull in their businesses and create ecosystems not only where businesses will thrive, but where doing business across the continent will be normal rather than an exception.”</p>
<p>Before the dreams of the Premier can be realised, barriers will need to be broken. Relations between South Africans and Nigerians have been strained as a result of xenophobia. According to Abike Dabiri-Erewa, the Senior Special Assistant on Foreign Affairs and Diaspora to Nigeria’s President Mohammadu Buhari, in the last two years, Nigeria has lost 116 citizens to xenophobic attacks in South Africa. For Foluso Philips, the Chairman of the Nigerian-South African Chamber of Commerce, the solution to this issue lies with the heart. “A lot of people laugh at me when I talk about the Nigeria and South Africa story. I start off by saying we have to learn to love each other and it’s a very fundamental thing.” He said. “The way to deal with this is to begin to get us to understand each other. That’s where you’ll find that the lead should not be economic issues but other cultural and social issues. It’s those interactions that we must have to see that both countries have a lot in common.” He continued. </p>
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<p>Premier Makhura was of a similar mind, keen to draw attention to similarities between the two nations rather than stress the differences. During the panel he said, “until South Africa and Nigeria say something you have not spoken in Africa.” Professor Ademola Abass, Special Adviser to the Governor of Lagos State for Overseas Affairs and Investment agreed and stressed the positive results that increased partnership between the two regions could bring. He said, “When Lagos State and Gauteng combine their resources, you’re going to break down barriers.” </p>
<p><strong>READ:</strong> <a href="http://cnbc.africa/zdnl-mc/2017/06/12/gauteng-looks-ghana-harness-investment-trade-drive-growth/">Gauteng looks to Ghana to harness investment and trade to drive growth</a></p>
<p>With every partnership, there are bound to be winners and losers. It is a point that Philips was quick to raise. He emphasised the importance of the relationship between the two regions being mutually beneficial. “As much as South Africa says proudly South African we also want to be able to say proudly Nigerian so if we don’t have enough Nigerians going to do business in South Africa let’s make sure that the business that South Africa does here is one that is engaging Nigerians and employing Nigerians and not one in which we’re very dependent on imports,” he said. </p>
<p>For Toyin Sanni, the CEO of United Capital, the mission to improve relations between the two regions could not have come at a better time. Advising investors to look for opportunities in Nigeria’s infrastructure space, she praised the efforts of the governments of Gauteng and Lagos, and called on the private sector to take advantage of the opportunities that have been created. “The next stage of this will be to have a working plan that involves the private sector champions on both sides that allows them to come up with a wish-list of policy concessions that will be required to drive these initiatives,” she said.  </p>

Why Gauteng, Lagos are leading the charge to work together

<p>The African National Congress had hosted its National Policy Conference in Nasrec from the 30<sup>th</sup> June-05 July 2017. This national discourse has been dominated by the robust discussions and a surprising obsession with the term of white monopoly capital (WMC). What has not captured the national attention, is that the thousands of delegates that descended upon Nasrec, represent domestic tourists.</p>
<p>The delegates were joined by non-voting delegates that included National Members of Parliament,  Provincial Members of Parliament, Veterans, Ministers, Premiers and members of several ANC sub-committees. Observers to the NPC included COSATU, SACP, SANCO, COSAS, and SASCO. The NPC guests ranged from members of the diplomatic community and political friends of the ANC from near and far, that came to grace the event.</p>
<p>The ANC delegates would consume a multiplicity of products and services ranging from accommodation, food and beverages, transportation, and engage in the mandatory therapy associated with shopping.</p>
<h3>Benefits to the night time economy</h3>
<p>The ANC remains a mass democratic movement, which attracts supporters when it hosts events.  In addition, the Night Time Economy, which is basically a 24-hour economy located around bars, pubs, clubs, and places of entertainment creates thousands of jobs and is a key driver of expenditure in cities.</p>
<p>The NTE would have benefitted immensely from ANC delegates, as they would engage each other in the Battle of Ideas, outside of the conference venue. ANC delegates are known for their patriotic expenditure at places of the NTE, running bills that ensure that the imminent shedding of jobs in such establishments, is curtailed.</p>
<p>The importance of the NPC can be reflected by the fact that it coincided with the Durban July, robbing the Indian Ocean coastal city of Durban, ANC delegates and their expenditure. The greater Johannesburg economy benefited from the expenditure that occurred in the extended NPC, which was for six days, an economic bonanza for the Gauteng economy.</p>
<h3>Scope of event tourism</h3>
<p>The NPC falls within the definition of event tourism, which includes conferences, conventions, and symposiums. Domestic tourism continues to receive less attention than the more glamorous international tourism, but in almost all destination, domestic tourism remains robust and dominating the majority of tourism trips.</p>
<p>Statistics South Africa which released the Domestic Tourism Survey 2015, noted that domestic tourism declined between 2013 and 2015 with the total number of day trips decreasing from 54,4 million in 2013 to 48 million in 2014 and 44 million in 2015. However, despite the downward trend, the total expenditure on day trips increased from R35 billion in 2013 to R39 billion in 2014.</p>
<p>Domestic tourism is a function of economic growth and employment, and the South African economy has been bleeding jobs and experiencing a growth trap. The problems of South Africa are much greater when you consider that the skills mismatch means that millions will remain unemployed because they have skills not required by the economy.</p>
<p>The increase in the unemployment rate recently should not be a surprise because of the investment strike by the private sector, sitting on more than R800 billion in their bank accounts.</p>
<h3>Global economy shifted emphasis to services sector</h3>
<p>The loss of jobs in mining has destroyed the economies of several mining towns, leading to lawlessness associated with the emergence of zama-zama’s who run a multi-million rand illegal mining operation.</p>
<p>Tourism in these times of doom and gloom has remained robust, with year-on-year growth at 13%, considering that the SA economy would not see 1% growth. The global economy has moved from a commodities (mining, agriculture) consumption to a consumption economy led by services such as banking, and tourism.</p>
<p>As South Africa continues to be unprepared for the implications of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, tourism is possibly the sector that would remain labour-absorbing because of its labour intensive nature. The state continues to invest as little as possible on tourism, instead focusing too much energy on mining, agriculture, and manufacturing.</p>
<p>Tourism remains underfunded but continues to inspire with growth that creates jobs. The Department of Home Affairs remains an enemy of international tourism growth because of an obsession with visas. As more countries become visa friends to attract tourism and drive mobility for commerce and business, Africa is lagging behind.</p>
<p>The Department of Transportation is an enemy of tourism because of limited international flights to South Africa, which make limits aviation capacity and lower prices. The consequence is 13% tourism growth instead of 100% tourism growth, and this means that addressing monopoly poverty and inequality in the lives of South Africans is a dream deferred.</p>
<p>Our people are not interested in WMC, their tragedy is inter-generational poverty, unemployment and lack of assets, a lifetime defined by a lack of freedom because of lack of having, or ownership.</p>
<p><em><strong>Author: </strong>Unathi Sonwabile</em> <em>Henama</em> <em>teaches tourism at Tshwane University of Technology and writes in his personal capacity.</em></p>


Op-Ed: Domestic tourism benefit of ANC National Policy Conference on S.A’s Gauteng economy

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<p>CNBC Africa is joined by Gauteng MEC for Infrastructure Development, Jacob Mamabolo. Today, his department unveiled the 2017/18 job creation and skills development budget at the Gauteng Provincial Legislature.</p>


Gauteng unveils infrastructure development budget

<p>Gauteng, South Africa’s city of gold, is the 6th largest economy in Africa. As the country battles with a <a href="http://cnbc.africa/trending/sa-downgrade/2017/06/06/south-africa-slips-recession-economy-shrinks-q1/">recession for the second time in a decade</a> it is imperative that the industrial hub continues to make clear that it is open for business. With initiatives like the Gauteng Growth and Development Agency, and the Gauteng Investment Centre, the region has been active in finding opportunities for advancement both within and beyond its borders.</p>
<p>CNBC Africa’s Esther Awoniyi, recently <a href="http://cnbc.africa/videos/2017/06/12/south-africa-ghana-explore-investment-opportunities/">moderated a panel </a>comprising of government officials and businessmen in Ghana, to explore opportunities for increasing trade and investment between Ghana and South Africa. The group provided much needed insight into what can be done.</p>
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<p>According to the World Economic Forum, intra-Africa trade makes up about 15 per cent of all trade on the continent. It is a figure that Saki Zamxaka, the Chief Executive of the Gauteng Growth and Development Agency described as “woefully inadequate”. Trade between African countries pales in comparison to Europe and Asia. Intra-continental trade in those regions is 63 per cent and 53 per cent respectively.</p>
<p>David Makhura, the Premier of Gauteng said: “We have been talking a lot about deepening intra-Africa trade, but the progress is not satisfactory.” As the world economy gains momentum after a disappointing 2016, the Premier says the province is looking to investment and trade to solve economic stagnation: “We at the Gauteng province, we have identified investment and trade in Africa as one of the key interventions to solve slow growth.”.</p>
<p>As both Ghana and South Africa are countries with relatively developed mining sectors, there are a number of opportunities for collaboration between the two. However, Zamxaka was keen to highlight those in Ghana’s power sector. “The cost of energy here is still a little bit high which makes it viable for alternative energy sources, like gas, and solar, which we have a lot of experience with.” It is an opportunity that South African infrastructure development fund managers Harith are taking advantage of. According to a statement released by the company, Harith has started building the $550 million Amandi Energy Power Plant, which it hopes will eventually rely on gas acquired from Ghana’s offshore Sankofa oil field.</p>
<p>During the panel R. Yofi Grant, the CEO of the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre said the country is looking for more stories like this, as it has embarked on reforms to improve the ease of doing business. The Chief Executive hopes to see his native country become a conduit of business activity into West Africa. “Ghana is at the centre of the world.” He said. “We have these opportunities that we can harness to bring business to West Africa through Ghana,” he added.</p>
<p>Prudential Life Insurance Ghana is one of the companies that seems to be living Grant’s words to the letter. Inspired by the large number of uninsured Ghanaians the company, a subsidiary of Prudential, one of the world’s oldest life insurance companies, entered the Ghanaian market in 2014. According to Achumile Majija, the Chief Commercial Officer at Prudential Life Insurance Ghana, the factors that impressed the company were the country’s political stability, and the ease of doing business. “We’ve been talking to other markets to do similar business and we’re still in talks. We started some at the same time as we started in Ghana but there’s been a lot of red tape and bureaucracy, where you need to pay to see this person or you always have to get connections. In Ghana what I’ve found is that you guys appreciate foreigners more than your own.” He said when speaking on the panel. As Makhura, put it, “There’s a change of government in Ghana without blood flowing in the streets, it also has one of the more predictable business environments.”</p>
<p>According to World Bank figures, Ghana’s economy is expected to grow by 6.1 per cent in 2017. These are figures that South Africa cannot hope to match this year, as the country’s economy slipped into recession after contracting by 0.3 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2016 and 0.7 per cent in the first quarter of 2017. The country has however made plans that could boost economic growth in the future. “We as a government have decided to open up.” Zamxaka said when explaining his agency’s outward-looking investment strategy, promoting Gauteng as a favourable trade and investment destination. However to fulfil this mission, it is likely that the region will have to work hard to remove some of the negative stereotypes associated with doing business in Africa. As Makhura stressed, “Governance is important. We in government need to address issues of corruption. The idea that you can’t do business in Africa without having to pay a bribe must be something that we get rid of.”</p>


Gauteng

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