Provinces spend 46% of combined capital budgets

Friday, November 30, 2012

Pretoria - South Africa's provinces have spent 46% of their R27.2 billion combined capital budgets by the end of the first half of the 2012/13 financial year, said National Treasury.

"In aggregate, provinces spent R12.5 billion or 46% of their R27.2 billion combined capital (payments for capital assets) budgets, an increase of 12.5 per cent on the expenditure for the same period of the 2011/12 financial year," said National Treasury on Thursday.

According to the Mid-Term Provincial Budgets and Expenditure Report, education expenditure - which at 42% is the largest item on provincial budgets - was R82.4 billion or 50.4% of the R163.7 billion combined education budgets -- an increase of 6% or R4.7 billion on the previous financial year. 

The second largest item on provincial budgets, the health expenditure, totalled R60 billion or 50.9% of the R117.8 billion combined health budgets.

Provinces collected R6.3 billion or 54.9% of the budgeted own revenue of R11.4 billion.

"By 30 September, national government had transferred to provinces R154.5 billion of the equitable share and R39.4 billion of conditional grants," noted Treasury.

In aggregate, provinces spent R189.2 billion or 48.7% of their combined budgets of R388.4 billion for the first half of the 2012/13 financial year.

This was an increase of 6.9% or R12.2 billion on the R177 billion spent last year.

Social development expenditure for the six-month period was at R5.6 billion or 46.4 % of the R12.2 billion combined social development budgets.

According to the report, personnel expenditure was R115.8 billion or 49.9% of the combined R231.9billion budget that was set aside for employees' compensation during 2012/13.-SAnews.gov.za