By Johnathan Paoli
Gauteng Economic Development and Finance MEC Lebogang Maile has denied claims of the province possibly facing bankruptcy by June this year.
Maile took to social media on Sunday refuting reports by certain media outlets that he had expressed concern over the provincial government being in the red by mid-year.
“The Gauteng provincial government will never be bankrupt, our finances are well managed, our books are in order,” Maile said.
Maile cautioned last year that Gauteng could find itself in R6 billion debt, following a R15 billion cut in the budget.
He said this was a result of the Health Department’s non-compliance with supply chain regulations, citing corruption as the cause of the crisis.
However, Maile maintained that the provincial government was doing everything in its power to prevent any financial crisis.
He warned against what he described as endeavours to tarnish the reputation of the provincial government.
“Any attempt to cast aspersions on the integrity of our government are just malicious,” Maile said.
Last month, the Democratic Alliance (DA) called on government to put measures in place to ensure that all departments reported financial misconduct immediately, that officials implicated were disciplined swiftly and that the Asset Forfeiture Unit be used to recover the stolen money.
DA provincial leader Solly Msimanga said that just over R176 million was lost to financial misconduct over the last five financial years, with R16 million for the 2023/2024 financial year.
The information was revealed in a report to the Standing Committee on Public Accounts in the Gauteng legislature.
Maile said he would hold a media briefing on Tuesday to clarify the issue and outline the province’s fiscal future.
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