Limpopo's MEC for the Provincial Treasury, Ms Joyce Mashamba, this week tabled a R23 billion budget in the provincial legislature, allocating a sizeable slice of the cake (R11 billion) to education.

The amount, representing 48% of the total budget, will cover expenditure on conditional grants, provincial infrastructure, nutritional needs, guidelines and training manuals for the next phase of the OBE education system, and the development of professional educators and school managers.

The education budget is the main component of a huge amount of R16,9 billion designated to the province's social sector. Health services will swallow up R5,4 billion (23,7 percent), Social Development R432 million, and Safety and Security R29 million.

At a media briefing at the legislature, media members expressed doubts about whether the Department of Education had the capacity and management skills to handle this large allocation. Ms Mashamba said it was important to give this department all it needed, because of the vital functions it had to perform.

As expected, the province's own sources of revenue will only contribute about R400 million, made up mainly from licencing fees. The equitable share from the national government will account for R20,06 billion of the income, and conditional grants will make up R1,9 billion.

Other significant spending will be an amount of R1,7 billion on roads and transport, R1, 02 billion on agricultural development, R675 million for Economic Development, Environment and Tourism, as well as an amount of R598 million for Public Works.

In addition, the MEC announced that the budgets set aside for the next two years would total R25,7 billion and R28,6 billion respectively, as part of a five-year plan.