Fiscal transparency Open Budget Surveys 2010: South Africa ranked first out of 100 countries 2015: South Africa ranked third out of 102 countries, of which: Budget transparency: Ranked 3rd Public participation: Ranked joint 5th Institutional oversight: Ranked joint 2nd Continued publication of extensive budget documentation for public scrutiny and analysis 2017 Budget tabled on 22 February 2017 Budget legislation accompanied by several publications containing detailed information Budget data published in excel and csv format, with pivot tables available for download Ongoing procurement reforms New legislation drafted Including central supplier database being fully operational and eTenders portal being available online to all

Public participation Workshop sessions continually organised with civil society organisations (CSOs) and other stakeholders on budgetary and reporting issues Workshops have evolved from general discussions to focusing on key participation challenges and budget areas of interest Informal dialogue also taking place regularly Significant progress in the relationship between National Treasury and CSOs Information and support provided to CSOs undertaking research and drafting CSO-led publications Outreach sessions held with universities Members of the general public invited by the Minister of Finance to provide budget ‘tips’ Budget data portals New local government budget data portal “Municipal Money” launched in October 2016: www.municipalmoney.gov.za Application Programme Interface: www.municipaldata.treasury.gov.za Developed after engagements with CSOs and in partnership with Code for South Africa, a NGO that promotes informed public decision-making using technology

Challenges and lessons learnt Relationship between Government and CSOs can be volatile During democratic transition years, SA Treasury was staffed by former political activists, CSO staff and academics that facilitated strong bilateral relationships in many sectors Trust relationship however needs to be continually worked on and institutionalised through the development of products. May take a significant amount of time to build Need to reach wider spectrum of stakeholders beyond the established relationships Wide, deep and regular CSO engagement key Lack of commonality in requests from various CSOs makes it difficult to satisfy needs Both CSOs and government need to be committed to improving their budget interactions within themselves and with each other. Coordination amongst stakeholders key Interactive hubs and IT portals allow different users to utilise information in multiple ways Budget information by its nature is technically challenging and difficult to interpret CSOs and media need to play an intermediary role to meaningfully empower citizens Analytical abilities and evidence-based rigour required Citizen-owned publications on budgets are useful in bridging the knowledge gap Social audits also play a key role

Challenges and lessons learnt Disaggregated budget and service delivery information not always readily available or centrally located Information to be made readily available to the extent possible The Treasury’s mandate and role within government needs to be taken into consideration CSOs to approach government institutions with the relevant information as opposed to expecting the Treasury to be a ‘1-stop shop’ or a ‘big brother’ Public participation is challenged by a lack of engagement during the formulation phase of the budget process Budget timeframes are inherently narrow Not feasible to attempt to have CSOs involved in all the steps of the budget process Need to establish key strategic spaces for interaction Availability of funding and resources limited Co-funding and resource sharing

Going forward Continued publication of extensive, improved budget documentation and data for public scrutiny and analysis National Treasury committed to continually improving its budget relationships with CSOs and other stakeholders. The building of supplementary and complementary relationships also encouraged Use of social media and other avenues to reach the general public more readily National government data portal Currently in progress Being developed in true partnership with CSOs Iterative agile approach of development in rapid cycles to allow data to be made available in the phased manner and be launched in phases Procurement reforms ongoing Draft Public Procurement Bill to be published shortly to establish a single procurement authority and consolidate the currently fragmented regulatory environment

Thank you