Madlanga inquiry, National dialogue allocated millions from adjustment budget

THE Madlanga Commission of Inquiry established to probe the infiltration of the criminal justice system by criminals will be funded to the tune of R147 million. 

This emerged when Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana announced that R5.2 billion was allocated from the previous financial year and unforeseen and unavoidable expenditure of R1.6 billion in the 2025 adjustment budget.

Tabling his Medium Term Budget Policy Statement (MTBPS), Godongwana said the allocated amounts will cover disaster relief and funding for the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry.

“It also includes spending announced at the time of the 2025 Budget for the National Dialogue, Statistics South Africa and the Office of the Chief Justice and confirms the provisional allocations for health and education, including early childhood development.”

The allocations were proposed for disaster relief backlogs not funded in the 2024 adjustment budget to rehabilitate municipal infrastructure, provincial roads, schools, healthcare facilities and agriculture.

Godongwana said the contingency reserve has been revised upwards from R5 billion to R13.5 billion to provide for various infrastructure projects, such as freight rail rehabilitation and for the 2026 elections.

“Government will expand the contingency reserve to R13.5 billion using part of the revenue overrun.

"These funds will be used mainly for infrastructure-related spending and the municipal elections,” he said in reference to the more than expected R19.7 billion revenue collected in the first six months of 2025/26.

Godongwana said the provisional allocation for the health sector, announced in the 2025 Budget earlier this year, would be R20.8 billion.

“This consists of R2.7 billion to employ doctors R9.9 billion to cover accrual for medical services and R8.2 billion to retain health professionals.”

He also confirmed the R19.5 billion provisional allocation made in the 2025 Budget for the education sector.

The amount will cover R9.5 billion for compensation cost in the provincial education departments and R10 billion to expand access to the early childhood development programme.

Godongwana said the R350 social relief of distress grant will be extended for another year to March 2027.

“Proposals are finalised to link the working-age population to skills development and employment programmes.”

Godongwana also said funding will be reprioritised over the 2026 Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) to address cost pressures and achieve efficiency in combating crime and maintaining territorial integrity.

“This includes implementing early retirement, starting with the Department of Defence. Critical posts will be filled, and along with modernisation programmes, will enhance the effectiveness of the criminal justice system.”

He announced that the Department of Correctional Services will reprioritise funds to take over public-private partnership prisons, Mangaung and Kutama Sinthumule in 2026 and February 2027 respectively.

The minister added that the departments of Home Affairs and Police were reprioritising funds to improve immigration services and information and technology.

“Funding will also be shifted from the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development to strengthen the independence of the judiciary.

“Shared services budget for facilities management, security services and virtual library services will be migrated in April 2026.”

An amount of R2.1 billion was added to the Regional Bulk Infrastructure Grant to fund waste water treatment works project in Polokwane funded through the Budget facility for infrastructure.

Cape Times