The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) will spend an additional R3.4 million on an anti-piracy campaign in the second half of the year, as it shifts funding from other expenditure areas.
The amounts are contained in the adjusted estimates of national expenditure which forms part of the medium-term budget policy statement, presented to Parliament by finance minister Pravin Gordhan this afternoon. The so-called mini-budget provides a mid-year update on revenue and expenditure for government's fiscal year.
According to the DTI's adjusted budget summary, R3.432 million has been saved through a reduction in spending on consultants, special services, venues, travel, communication and legal costs in its International Trade and Economic Development unit.
This saving will be shifted to its Consumer and Corporate Regulation subsidiary, where it will be put towards the anti-piracy awareness campaign. An additional R68 000 will be spent on the campaign, as the DTI trims advertising spend in its communication and marketing unit.
More tech training
In addition, the number of students and researchers supported under its “technology and human resources for industry programme” in the first half of the 2010/11 year was higher than the estimate for the entire year, because of “higher-than-anticipated participation”, notes the document.
The department had expected to support 2 000 students under the programme for the full-year; however, by mid-year, 2 119 students had enrolled. In addition, the programme expected to support 650 researchers during the year, but this figure was exceeded by an additional 275 researchers.
Trade and industry's programme forms part of its empowerment and enterprise development strategy, which has as one of its objectives the creation of 4 000 jobs through partnerships by 2013.
The programme plans to create a “skilled and capable workforce to support an inclusive growth path”. Trade and industry's adjusted budget summary indicates this figure will be adjusted upwards in next year's national estimates of expenditure.
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