The recent budget recommitted the government to outsize infrastructure investment. Even excluding spending by Transnet and Eskom, it proposes a 20% increase in spending on water, in real terms (deflated with CPI); almost 15% on transport, both road and rail; and 5% on energy.

Government spending on other functions is expected to increase by just 1.3%, or slower than population growth. In per person terms the police and health budgets inch up, but education spending shrinks. Virtually all economic services will see an absolute decline in expenditure in constant rand.   ..

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