Section 120(3) of the Constitution requires provinces to pass a law that guides how they deal with public finance proposals (spending, taxes, etc) from provincial governments. Until 2019 no province had done this. In April of this year, the Gauteng Provincial Legislature (GPL) passed such a law – the Gauteng Money Bills Amendment Procedure and Related Matters Act.
Having such a law is important, but unfortunately the GPL put together a Bill riddled with problems and errors which it then proceeded to rush through in a month without any serious consultation. Some of the problems with the Bill and the process are summarised in this article: https://www.businesslive.co.za/bd/opinion/2019-03-25-gauteng-legislatures-draft-money-bills-act-is-riddled-with-flaws/
A more detailed analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of the Bill is provided by the submission I made to the GPL, at very short notice, in March:
Gauteng Money Bills submission to GPL
With the recent provincial election results suggesting a very narrow numerical majority for the ANC, the problems with the GPL Act may have a profoundly disruptive effect on public finance oversight and decisions in Gauteng. That is concerning, not least for a province that is estimated to be responsible for about 35% of the country’s economic activity and 25% of the country’s population.