Mpumalanga Premier tabled the 2025/2026 financial year budget

Mpumalanga’s Premier, Mandla Ndlovu, tabled the Office of the Premier 2025/2026 financial year budget at the Provincial Legislature on Monday July 28. The department received approximately R1.6b for the financial year.

He highlighted adoption of the Provincial Medium Term Development Plan

Strategic and Annual Performance Plans for Provincial Departments and Public Entities; aligning with the priorities of the 7th Administration.

This would drive creation of 60 000 jobs and erase economic inequality by 2029 with an investment of R50 billion.

Ndlovu showed how his office prioritised performance monitoring and evaluation of legislation, policies, programmes and research studies across Mpumalanga to improve service delivery despite challenges.

Assessments had been completed across six entities with another five outstanding. This included Primary Health Care Facilities, tourism development, nature reserve revitalization, conservation and economic growth.

The Sakh’abakhi Contractor Development Programme, Transversal Contracts and Household Interventions for Sustainable Livelihoods were tested for effectiveness to be shared with respective Accounting Officers and departments.

Goals and targets of the 7th Administration for the new financial year include:

· Service Delivery Monitoring Tool

· Establishment of Mpumalanga’s Research & Innovation Institute;

· Address International Relations – supporting Nkomazi’s Special Economic Zone, International Trade Fair and high-level outreach programmes;

Successes and Ongoing/Upcoming Projects

· Hosting of G20 Education Indaba in White River and G20 Research and Innovation Working Group at the University of Mpumalanga;

· Hosting of Global Partnership for Financial Inclusion and G20 Empowerment of Women Working Group, both at the Kruger National Park (KNP);

· Hosting the G20 Development Working Group as build up to the G20 Summit in November at KNP;

· Established technical structure for Just Transition and Climate Change Steering Committee to be implemented until 2026;

· Rationalization and review of Mpumalanga’s State-Owned Entities;

· Strengthening, Coordination and Infrastructure Delivery;

· Professionalisation of Public Sector;

· Recorded growth and sustainability of Youth Enterprises with R103m budgeted for Youth Development Fund;

· Mainstreaming Services for Persons with Disability;

· Address Gender-Based Violence and Femicide (Gbvf);

· Provincial Implementation Plan for HIV, STIs and TB for 2023-2028;

· Strengthening Coordination of Military Veterans;

· Government Information to communities;

· Fighting Fraud and Corruption and

· Improving Audit Outcomes

Upcoming meetings

· G20 Tourism Outreach and

· Tourism G20 Ministerial meeting

Total Budget – R493 827 000.00

· Administration – 170 080 000.00 (Programme 1)

· Institutional Development Support and Integrity Management – R 237 062 000.00 (Programme 2

· Policy, Research, Performance Monitoring and Evaluation – R 86 685 000.00

Referring to Mandela Month and thanking all volunteers Ndlovu undertook to talk less and do more. He committed himself to use “the little that we have to build our communities,” striving to build a better South Africa.