Maile Vows Skills Focus In Gautengs Half-trillion Budget Over Three Years

Gauteng finance MEC Lebogang Maile has raised concern over an increasing wage bill tightening the screws on financial leaks.

Maile tabled his budget on Tuesday after widespread anxiety over finance minister Enoch Godongwana's budget speech which promised a 0.5 percentage point increase in VAT in the next two financial years.

Maile heads the country's biggest provincial economy with a budget of R527.2bn in the next three years.

The provincial wage bill is its biggest item, with Maile stating the provincial government would have to stop prioritising headcount and focus on skills when filling positions.

While we recognise the need to retain critical frontline staff, we cannot afford to sustain an unchecked wage bill at the expense of essential services, said Maile. All departments must ensure that staffing decisions are based on efficiency, productivity and impact. This approach is not merely about cutting costs it is about optimising workforce deployment to ensure that every rand spent delivers tangible value to the people of Gauteng.