Note to Editors: Please note Riona Gokool, MPL sound bite in English
The Democratic Alliance (DA) welcomes the recent statement by Provincial Treasury clarifying the true extent of the ongoing fiscal crisis within the KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) Department of Transport (DoT).
The statement by KZN Finance MEC, Francois Rodgers, affirms what the DA has consistently maintained: that the department’s financial distress is not the result of a so-called “system glitch”, but rather due to weak financial controls, poor fiscal planning and inadequate budget management.
While system-related changes may have caused short-term disruptions, the reality remains that the DoT began the financial year burdened by billions in unpaid accruals. This has significantly eroded its available budget and undermined its ability to meet current financial obligations.
This ongoing mismanagement continues to place immense strain on the provincial fiscus, limiting the department’s capacity to deliver on its core mandate and exacerbating financial instability within the broader provincial government.
The DA calls on KZN Transport MEC, Siboniso Duma, to provide full and transparent disclosure on the department’s financial position, including the extent of accruals, cash flow constraints and steps being taken to restore fiscal stability. It is imperative that the public and all stakeholders are given a clear and honest account of the department’s finances.
Furthermore, the DA calls for consequence management against officials responsible for financial misrepresentation, irregular expenditure and failures in budget oversight. Restoring credibility within the department requires decisive accountability.
As a responsible partner in KwaZulu-Natal’s Government of Provincial Unity (GPU), the DA, proposes the following immediate fiscal interventions:
• Ensuring that all infrastructure commitments are strictly cash-backed and aligned to available budget allocations;
• Strengthening expenditure controls to prevent the accumulation of unaffordable accruals;
• Enhancing in-year financial monitoring and reporting mechanisms to improve early detection of fiscal risks; and
• Working with Provincial Treasury to reinforce oversight measures that safeguard the sustainability of departmental finances.
Without urgent fiscal reform, the DoT risks further destabilising provincial finances and undermining service delivery across KZN. The people of our province deserve responsible financial management, transparency, and accountability.