'Unforeseen' spending a big feature in Godongwana's MTBPS
While there are no bailouts for state-owned enterprises (SOEs), SANRAL gets R5 billion as the government looks to close the protracted chapter on e-tolls.
Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana tables Budget 2024. Image: National Treasury RSA on Twitter
CAPE TOWN - Unforeseen spending is a big feature in the Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement (MTBPS) with billions set aside for the South African National Road Agency SOC LTD (SANRAL) to cover e-toll debt.
While there are no bailouts for state-owned enterprises (SOEs), SANRAL gets R5 billion as the government looks to close the protracted chapter on e-tolls.
Army deployments in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) are another unexpected spending item as are the costs associated with an expanded executive under the new Government of National Unity (GNU).
Wednesday marks the first adjustment budget of the GNU administration where revisions to the budget are made in response to changes that have affected government spending.
One of the biggest spending adjustments in the mini-budget is a special appropriation of R5 billion for SANRAL to cover debt repayments linked to e-tolls.
Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana listed some of the spending pressures like flood damage.
“Unforeseeable and unavoidable expenditure of R2.1 billion mainly for disaster relief. A special appropriation bill that mostly covers SANRAL obligations related to phase one of the Gauteng freeway improvement programme.”
While the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) gets a boost of R2.1 billion for the Southern African Development Community (SADC) mission in the DRC, The Presidency also gets a special appropriation of R17 million for the government’s genocide case against Israel in the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
Mineral Resources and Higher Education are among the departments getting millions more for new ministers, deputies and their staff as the impact of the GNU takes hold.