Gauteng Tables R172.3 Billion Budget to Fight Corruption, Boost Jobs and Improve Services

The Gauteng Provincial Treasury has tabled its 2025/26 Budget Vote, allocating a massive R172.3 billion to drive inclusive economic growth, create jobs, tackle corruption, and improve service delivery in the country’s most populous province.

Presenting the budget at the Gauteng Provincial Legislature on Wednesday, MEC for Finance and Economic Development Lebogang Maile said the province faced significant socio-economic challenges, including high youth unemployment, sluggish growth, and rising demand for basic services due to above-average population growth.

Maile underscored the Treasury’s dual responsibility: to prudently manage public funds while enabling departments to address structural barriers to growth and development. “This is not only a constitutional duty but a moral obligation to the people of Gauteng,” he said.

Fighting Corruption and Wastage
In a strong stance against corruption, Maile said the Treasury was implementing aggressive measures to combat fraud, irregular expenditure, and maladministration, while promoting clean governance and transparency. The province’s Open Tender system, which has already awarded R42 billion in projects since 2014, will remain a key anti-corruption tool.

To strengthen oversight, Gauteng has rolled out a new Invoice Management System (IMS) to ensure suppliers are paid on time, and audit processes will be modernised to improve compliance and reduce waste.

Support for Townships and Municipalities
The budget prioritises township economies by ensuring 60% of provincial spend goes to township-based SMMEs, particularly those owned by women, youth, people with disabilities, and military veterans.

Municipalities, described as “the coal-face of service delivery”, will also receive targeted support through technical advisory programmes and debt relief. Emfuleni Municipality’s Eskom debt, for example, has been reduced by R1.9 billion following compliance with Treasury conditions.

Technology-Driven Modernisation
The Treasury has earmarked R787 million for its own operations, including advancing e-commerce, automating financial statements, and modernising revenue collection. Data-driven planning will also inform development policies, with the recently launched Gauteng Municipal Economic Review and Outlook offering insights to improve municipal performance.

Infrastructure Investment
Municipalities have been allocated a R14.3 billion capital budget, largely for water, sanitation, and energy projects. “Despite this investment, we still face significant backlogs, which we must urgently address,” Maile said.

Vision 2030
The budget aligns with the Growing Gauteng Together 2030 vision, which aims to build a capable, ethical, and developmental state that prioritises the needs of the poor and vulnerable.

“Every rand must be accounted for and spent on improving lives,” said Maile, vowing a zero-tolerance approach to corruption.