2012 Government Spend on Entertainment – Update: 7 Departments; R2 520 000

by The Editor


FEATURE: It is annual report season and that means, among other important indicators, it is possible to gauge how national departments have spent public money over the course of the last financial year. Earlier this year, I set out how much the ANC government was spending on entertainment – just under R50 million in 2011 – and, as the new 2012 reports are tabled, I shall keep a running total of how much is spent this time around. Here follows the third such update, with seven departments having tabled their reports [with PDF table at end].

2012 Government Spend on Entertainment – Update: 7 Departments; R2 520 000

By: Gareth van Onselen


14 September 2012

Background

In April this year, I set out how much national government departments were spending on ‘entertainment’.

For the 2010/2011 financial year, between 33 departments, the total was R46 295 000, up R15 366 000 or 33% from the previous 2009/2010 financial year, when the figure was R30 929 000.

In 2009/2010 the average spend per department was R937 242. In 2010/2011, it jumped to R1 780 576.

(In a newspaper story on the previous story, Beeld created this graphic for the totals, which demonstrates the proportional 2011 spending by department quite well.)

The 2011/2012 annual reports are busy being tabled and, over the next couple of months, we will be able to see how much the ANC in national government has spent on entertainment this time round and how it relates to inflation. Using a general inflation rate of 5%, if the 2012 total increases by more than R2 314 750, it will have exceeded inflation.

In other words, if the grand total spent on entertainment, when every department has tabled their 2012 report, is more than R48 609 750, there would have to be a reason other than inflation to justify the increase.

To see the Treasury definition of what constitutes ‘entertainment’, read the previous post, as well as for some background and context to the previous set of figures.

As the 2012 annual reports are tabled, I shall keep a running total on Inside Politics. When all the departments have tabled, I shall do a full analysis.

The Latest

To date, seven departments have tabled their 2012 annual reports:

• The Departments of Environmental Affairs (DEA),
• The Department of Tourism (DT),
• The Department of Cooperative Governance (DCG),
• The Department of Science and Technology (DST),
• The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI),
• The Department of Labour (DOL), and
• The Department of Public Enterprises (DPE).

The total stands at R2 520 000. Six of the seven spent more in 2012 than in 2011 (see table at end of article).

The biggest percentage increase so far is the DPE, which increased its spend by 139% from R26 000 to R62 000. In absolute terms the, DST leads the way, almost doubling its spend, from R463 000 to R810 000, an increase of R347 000 or 43%.

DTI once again spent more than R1 million on entertainment: R1 106 000, a fractional increase.

Between the seven the total already stands at R2 520 000. That’s R648 000 or 34.6% more than was spent between the same seven last year.

If this trend continues, the final figure for all departments will far exceed inflation.

Some of the biggest spenders – Police, Defence, International Relations – have yet to table their reports. The 2012 spend of such departments will be defining when it comes to the total figure.

TABLE: Here are all the comparative figures totalled.

Previous Posts
• How much government spends on entertainment
• 2012 Government Spend on Entertainment: 3 Departments; R236 000
• 2012 Government Spend on Entertainment: 5 Departments; R2 152 000

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