How South African government spends every R100 of taxpayers’ money

The data shows that government spending flirted with the R2 trillion mark in the 2019/20 financial year, representing a 10% rise from the R1.79 trillion recorded in 2018/19.

‘General government’ includes all national and provincial government departments, municipalities, extra-budgetary accounts and funds, and higher education institutions.

When looking at the spend as a R100 total, the biggest expenses are as follows:

 

• R24 on general public services – including R10 on debt payments and R10 on executive and legislative services;
• R20 on education – including R6 on primary school and R6 on universities and other tertiary schooling;
• R15 on social protection – including R5 on grants and other spending for the elderly, and R4 for families and children;
• R11 on health – including R7 on hospital spending;
• R11 on economic affairs – including R3 on roads;
• R9 on public order – including R6 on policing and R1 on prisons;
• R9 on miscellaneous and other expenses  – including R4 on housing.

The data shows that Eskom, social grants and debt payments were the biggest cost drivers in 2019/20.

The government spent an additional R182.8 billion in 2019/20 compared with 2018/19. The matrix below breaks this down and provides a snapshot of what drove spending higher (in red) and what the government spent less money on (in blue).