The DA in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) has today given its support to the Division of Revenue Amendment (DORA) Bill.
The move comes after the provincial Legislature’s Finance portfolio committee commenced its work on the Bill, with a special briefing by National Treasury officials on 18 November, followed by public hearings.
While the time given to complete this task was extremely limited, the committee and support staff expedited the process to comply with Section 118 (1)(a) of the Constitution, which stipulates that the committee must facilitate public involvement in the legislative process.
Accordingly, the Bill and a notice calling for written submissions on the Bill, were both placed on the KZN Legislature’s website. Notices on the Bill, calling for submissions, were also published in two of the province’s leading newspapers.
It is regrettable that only two public hearings were held – in the Harry Gwala and Zululand District Municipalities – due to time constraints. The DA has called for more time to be allocated to public hearings in the future, particularly within KZN’s urban areas.
In terms of the Bill, the DA welcomes the various amendments and specifically the following;
• Amendments to Sections 10 and 12, which facilitate enhanced responsibility, planning and accountability on behalf of the transferring and receiving officers,
• Amendment to Section 16 (3) which specifically determines that an agreement between transferring and receiving officers must exist in terms of the expenditure of funds allocated,
• Amendment to Section 20 to give Provincial Treasury input into the plausibility and reliability of government departments implementing and completing projects and;
• Amendment to Section 25 (3) (a) and (d) that will speed up allocation of funding to the Provincial Management Disaster Centre (PDMC) in the case of climate related disaster but will also hold officials to timelines in terms of disaster funding expenditure.
The DA reiterates its call KZN’s MECs and their departments to pursue frugal financial governance and commend those who have already embarked on this path. Our province is worth saving from the fiscal cliff.