According to the Democratic Alliance the outstanding amount exceeds R1 billion, leaving suppliers of essential goods and services in a risky financial position.
The party pledges to introduce monthly reporting and monitoring systems to ensure accountability and prompt payment to suppliers. “This is on top of the 71% of invoices received by the Gauteng Department of Finance that were not paid by the end of the fourth quarter of the 2023/2024 financial year. This is indicative of the systemic failure and unwillingness of the health department to deal with late payments and the devastating effect this has on service delivery throughout the healthcare system,” Hicklin adds.