Durban - The families of the eight Road Traffic Inspectorate (RTI) applicants who died during training sessions in the heat at the Harry Gwala Stadium in Pietermaritzburg three years ago, as well as the injured are to split a nearly R5 million payout.
The Transport Department has been allocated R6.989m for the payout, with R1.949m of that amount earmarked for the legal costs.
This was revealed by KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Finance, Belinda Scott on Thursday who tabled the 2015/16 Adjustment Estimates at Legislature in Pietermaritzburg.
Meanwhile, Scott said the provincial government was continuing to trim the fat at its departments and entities.
Additional cost-cutting measures had also been introduced as a result of the 2015 wage agreement increase.
This was above the budget and could not be fully funded by the National Treasury, leaving the country’s provinces to pick up the bill for more than half of the increases, she said.
According to the department, the 2015 agreement includes a 7% increase (as opposed to the 5.6% provided for in the main March budget), R300 housing allowance for some staff, and a 28.5% increase in government’s contribution to the GEMS medical scheme.
“This resulted in a R1.749 billion shortfall for the province and, with National Treasury providing R877m towards this, the province was left to fund the remaining shortfall,” she said.
To meet the KZN shortfall, vacant posts have been frozen, with critical posts only permitted to be filled with the express approval of the premier and the MEC for Finance.
Daily News
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