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Estimates of the Provincial Revenue and Expenditure (EPRE) %u2013 2025/26 Financial YearThe budget process which involves many stakeholders as outlined in the picture above, sets the tone for a consensus-seeking budget. Through the participation of many stakeholders in the budgeting process, citizens can obtain knowledge of how government operates and can therefore influence government policies and hold government to account. The national and provincial budget process is a continuous cycle that runs annually from April to March in the following year. The following outline illustrates the timetable for one year%u2019s budget process. %uf0b7 National Treasury issued the 2025 MTEF Technical Guidelines for Provinces in June 2024,which were workshopped with all provinces on 1 July 2024, with the Provincial Treasuryhosting the Provincial Budget Guidelines Workshop on 8 July 2024 with provincialdepartments and provincial entities.%uf0b7 The provincial workshop was jointly held by Provincial Treasury, Office of the Premier and theDepartment of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta). In addition to outliningthe planning guidelines for provincial Departments, the role of the Office of the Premier wasto highlight the priorities adopted for the 2025 MTEF period, which would be in line with thepriorities of the 7th Administration. While Cogta presented guidelines on the Implementation ofThe Provincial Disaster Management Policy Framework And Plan as well as the principles ofthe District Development Model.%uf0b7 Provincial Treasury issues departments and public entities with customise budget guidelinesduring the Provincial Guidelines workshop on 8 July 2024.%uf0b7 The role of departments is to ensure that the Budget Guidelines are institutionalised withintheir departments so that they are able to meet the milestones of the provincial budgetprocess.%uf0b7 As part of the assessing the credibility of spending plans, the Provincial Treasury and NationalTreasury hosted the Budget Achievability exercise in from 29 July 2024 to 15 August 2024with key departments, and sites visits were undertaken to projects.%uf0b7 Departments submitted their first draft of the 2025 MTEF Budget and expenditure estimatedatabases to Provincial Treasury and subsequent to National Treasury on 26 July 2024.In preparation for the 7th Government Administration, the provincial departments have been arranged in Clusters, which were created to promote an integrated governance approach, with the goal of enhancing government planning, decision-making, and service delivery. The primary aim is to achieve effective coordination of all government programmes at both national, provincial and local levels. The Government Cluster System serves, among others, the following key purposes: %uf0b7 Prioritization and Strategy Development: It aids in the identification of priorities, objectives,and strategies aimed at tackling socio-economic challenges and fostering development withinthe province.%uf0b7 Monitoring and Evaluation: It oversees the monitoring and evaluation of provincial programsand projects to ensure that they are on track and effectively meeting their intended goals.%uf0b7 Performance Assessment: The Cluster System assesses the performance of theseprograms and projects, tracking progress and providing valuable feedback to provincialleadership. This feedback helps enhance service delivery and ensures accountability inachieving the province's overarching goals.55