Christopher Sello  
Gauteng MEC for Social Development, Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment, Mbali Hlophe has presented the 2023/24 Budget Vote speech to the Gauteng Legislature.
The department is allocated a budget of R1,06 billion for the 2023/24 financial year. 
About 44% of the budget will be allocated to goods and services, 1% will be allocated 
towards transfers and subsidies, and 1% will procure capital assets. 
"R494 Million has been allocated towards Agriculture and Rural Development and R296 million allocated towards environmental affairs, and an amount of R224 million has been allocated towards the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP)," said Hlophe. 
The MEC reported that the department has launched the 6000 EPWP Gauteng Green Army to respond to the 18% Gauteng population that faces food insecurity and the 7.8% that faces inadequate food access. 
"The department has focused its interventions on five value chains, mainly livestock, grain, poultry, vegetables and piggery, to ensure access to markets and finance. These interventions are premised on pursuing partnerships with industry towards realising the objective of commercialising smallholder farmers and agro-processors," said Hlophe.
Buy-pack centres play a crucial role in reducing waste within our landfills. 
The department will be intensifying this task to ensure that there are established within the TISH communities in line with the cleaning and greening work.
To this end, the department's programme for supporting waste enterprises, buy-back centres and cooperatives with recycling equipment to 75 waste enterprises is supported each financial year, provided with training, project management, financial management, health and safety. 
"Industries contribute significantly to economic development but remain one of the province's Achilles heels concerning air pollution.
"As a response, the recognised industries will be awarded certificates during the International Clean Air Day commemoration in September 2023. The department has spent almost R7 million on management and air quality equipment," the MEC explained.