By 
JOHANNESBURG — The Gauteng Provincial Government has released over R76.7 million in outstanding payments to service providers, marking progress in its efforts to address public sector payment backlogs following a dedicated supplier Imbizo.
According to an update issued by the Gauteng Provincial Treasury on Wednesday, August 5, 2026, provincial authorities have processed R76.7 million in disputed or delayed invoices following direct engagements with affected vendors. The payments follow interventions designed to alleviate financial distress for businesses that delivered contractual services but faced administrative delays in receiving payment.
Phased Disbursements and Processed Queries
The financial relief has been disbursed in two distinct phases:
- In the initial week following the Imbizo, provincial treasury disbursed R47.8 million in validated invoices.
- A further R28.9 million was cleared and released for payment by the end of last week as verification teams processed outstanding vendor queries.
A total of 91 formal queries were logged during the Imbizo. The Member of the Executive Council (MEC) for Finance, Hon. Nkululeko Dunga, commended the Gauteng Provincial Treasury team for its dedicated efforts in capturing, acknowledging, and resolving these issues directly with affected suppliers.
Resolving Verification Bottlenecks
Respective provincial departments are engaging suppliers directly where additional documentation or clarification is needed. Remaining unpaid invoices are being prioritized for settlement once standard financial compliance steps—specifically mandatory verification and three-way matching processes (reconciling purchase orders, proof of delivery, and invoice details)—are completed.
Delayed state payments remain a key structural challenge for small and medium enterprises (SMEs), frequently undermining vendor liquidity and business continuity. Addressing this, MEC Dunga reaffirmed a commitment under the political leadership of the Gauteng Premier to establish a long-term, sustainable system aimed at tackling structural accruals and ensuring suppliers who fulfil their contracts are paid promptly.
Ongoing Support and Monitoring
To maintain momentum, the provincial government confirmed that service providers with outstanding invoice queries can continue to submit claims via a dedicated support email address (IMS.Registrations@gauteng.gov.za) for dedicated follow-up.
The MEC indicated that detailed progress tracking will continue until all service provider queries originating from the Imbizo are fully resolved.
