The government is on record as having taken concrete steps to contain expenditure and ensure fiscal discipline.
In the 2014 Medium Term Budget Policy Statement (MTBPS) Government lowered its expenditure ceiling by R25 billion, R10 billion in 2015/16 and R15 billion in 2016/17. These budget reductions focused on non-essential goods and services, funding for long outstanding vacancies and transfers to entities with cash reserves.
Government is stepping up cost-containment measures to ensure that spending plans deliver greater value for money. The Treasury Instruction on Cost Containment Measures is going to be revisited to adjust thresholds and to introduce additional measures to contain costs especially around the hosting and attendance at conferences. In addition, procurement reforms are being rolled out to improve efficiency, reduce red tape and stamp out corruption. These reforms are underpinned by specific Treasury Instructions that have been issued by the Minister of Finance. Compliance with such instructions will be monitored as part of the annual audit process. Where non-compliance is identified by the Auditor General, appropriate disciplinary procedures will be implemented.