Treasury appoints new acting budget head

Cape Town - National Treasury announced on Wednesday that Ian Stuart has been appointed as the acting deputy director general of the budget office, following the resignation of Michael Sachs.

"Stuart is currently the chief director for fiscal policy in the budget office within National Treasury, a position he has held since August 2015 to date," Treasury said in a statement. 

"The primary role of the fiscal policy unit is to set the fiscal stance. This requires extensive technical knowledge of the budget, together with strong writing and presentation skills for public engagements." 

Sachs, meanwhile, has been appointed to a team set to help the Gauteng Health Department recover following various crises, such as the Life Esidemini tragedy.

READ: Former treasury official Michael Sachs appointed to Gauteng health intervention team

While initial reports on the resignation of Sacks zeroed in on alleged interference in the budget process, Treasury later said he had asked for a "lateral transfer from National Treasury to other areas of public service".

Treasury said some of Stuart's past responsibilities have included being the lead author on fiscal policy matters for SA budget documents and the budget speech, and working as a public financial management adviser for the International Monetary Fund (IMF).  

"Stuart joined National Treasury in 2006 as a senior policy analyst and worked his way through the ranks to become a chief director for fiscal policy," said Treasury. 

He worked closely with Sachs.

In the statement Minister of Finance Malusi Gigaba congratulated Stuart on his appointment and thanked Sachs for his "unwavering service, strong commitment and significant contribution" to Treasury.