The political administration of the country’s nine provinces will cost the taxpayer R16-billion by the end of this financial year, about 8% of the total transfer from national government.
Provincial ministers, their bodyguards and private secretaries will soak up R500-million in remuneration alone and the provincial legislatures, widely viewed as impotent in the face of executives and national government, will cost R617-million to administer.
Government is not getting bang for its buck with delivery backlogs and poor public service becoming the leitmotif of African National Congress provincial rule. Health, welfare and education are all the key functions of provinces and each is hamstrung rather than boosted by the present provincial system.
‘The debate needs to move towards the configuration of powers and functions across the three spheres of government in such a way to ensure that policy, budgets and implementation are more effective,†said Lungisa Fuzile, the acting deputy director general for intergovernmental relations in the national treasury.
Historically, the ANC has perceived provinces as an unnecessary additional layer of government and, since 1998 when President Thabo Mbeki ascended to power, there has been a perceptible hardening of attitudes in the party to the provinces due to their perceived inefficiency, corruption and ineffectiveness in delivering services.
Thabo Rapoo, an independent researcher who is currently writing his PhD on the evolution of provincial legislatures, recently wrote, ‘For far too long, the role of provinces in South Africa has been — and still is to a large extent — dominated by the political concerns which dominated the constitutional negotiations of 1992 to 1994. The central political preoccupation of that time was the issue of ‘power’.â€
Finance Minister Trevor Manuel recently questioned the configuration of the three-tiered government system, particularly the ability of provinces o perform their service delivery and oversight functions.
Provincial ministers, as the political heads of departments, are tasked with providing this strategic leadership. But their ability to do so was called into check recently with the release of the Provincial Budgets and Expenditure Review 2001/02 to 2007/08, which showed that the provinces underspent by R4,7-billion in the last financial year.
The provincial legislatures are supposed to provide oversight of these executive offices. Rather than the intended adversarial mode of party politics keeping service delivery on track. However, the political leadership in the provinces has tended to dominate the legislatures. In general, members of the provincial parliaments are coerced to toe the line, emasculating their oversight functions. This mirrors the experience at the national Parliament.
In addition, provinces have not had a shining track record as bulwarks against the central government. None of the provinces have formulated independent legislation, although they are constitutionally entitled to, and only the Western Cape has applied for a fuel levy although this is unlikely to be granted in the light of Manuel’s recent comment that provinces must try to raise taxes ‘without the comfort zone of an efficient [South African Revenue Service]â€.
While many believe the debate we should be having is whether we need the provinces at all, there is little chance that the ANC will scrap them as they have become a powerful and lucrative locale for the dispensing of patronage.
Provincial fat cats: Who earns what
The political heads of provincial departments continue to reap hefty rewards while their capacity to deliver is dubious.
On average, the office of a provincial minister, which includes his or her salary, the salaries of bodyguards, private secretaries and office technology costs R5-million. The most contentious example is KwaZulu-Natal provincial minister Gabriel Ndabandaba’s office, which will cost R30-million to administer, according to that province’s 2005/06 budget statement.
The salaries of provincial ministers range between R600 000 and R800 000, with broad discrepancies across provinces. The provincial minister for transport in the Eastern Cape, Thobile Mhlahlo, earns R643 171, while Fred Wyngaardt, the transport minister in the Northern Cape, pockets R807 000. On average, the provincial ministers in the Northern Cape are the highest earners compared to their counterparts in other provinces, despite the fact that it has the smallest population (902 000) in the country. The Free State, which has the second-smallest population, has 2-million people.
According to the budget statement, Ndabandaba earns R585 000, leaving R29,5-million for core staff and office equipment.
The highest earning Premier is Nosimo Balindlela of the Eastern Cape at R953 000. The lowest earner, according to available information in the budget statements, is KwaZulu-Natal Premier S’bu Ndebele (right), who banks R720 000. Dipuo Peters, the Northern Cape Premier, earns R932 000.
Beyond the remunerative costs of the provincial ministers, the operational functions of their offices, which broadly involve developing, implementing and monitoring strategic policies, cost an additional R15-billion in total, 7% of the total transfer from national government. — Vicki Robinson