Read more news in our Mini Budget feature.

Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan told the National Assembly on Tuesday that funding for job creation programmes are to be stepped up. R2-billion has been set aside by The National Skills Fund and the Unemployment Insurance Fund for the training layoff scheme

The minister said that public works programme allocations are included in funding flows to municipalities and various departments, aimed at creating 4.5 million job opportunities over the next five years. Funds have been set aside for local community works projects in rural villages.

Options for supporting job creation by the business sector are under review, through better use of existing spending programmes, small business support agencies and tax incentives.

"Education is our largest budget commitment, comprising over 140 billion rand this year, increasing to 185 billion rand by 2012/13," Gordhan told MPs.

"Building on the recently completed restructuring and recapitalisation of further education colleges, Minister Nzimande aims to increase participation to 20 percent of young people aged 18-24 over the next five years.

"A cumulative target of 350 000 industrial and related apprenticeships and scarce skill learnerships has been set."

Under Minister Motshekga's leadership, a new workbook programme was introduced this year, which will provide supplementary learning materials to 5.5 million school learners by 2012, aimed at improving literacy and numeracy in the foundation phase of schooling. Funding for the primary school nutrition programme will again be increased, to reach 8.6 million children in 2012/13.

On health, Gordhan said public health expenditure is set to rise from R90-billion this year to R115-billion in 2012/13.

"Minister Motsoaledi has asked me to emphasise that the restructuring of our health system comprises a ten-point plan, beginning with leadership and consultation amongst all interested parties," Gordhan said. "It includes an overhaul of management systems, improved human resource planning, better procurement of medical supplies, and investment in health infrastructure."

Next year a vaccination campaign will be undertaken to reduce the incidence of measles and extend immunisation coverage. Government expenditure on the HIV and Aids programme will receive an additional R5.4-billion over the next three years.

Improved salaries have been agreed for medical personnel. Public-private partnerships in the health sector will be stepped up, and a new quality assurance system will monitor service delivery improvement and compliance norms and standards.

Cooperation with the private sector and centres of research excellence will also be central to the state's agriculture and rural development strategy, The programmes seek to improve training and productivity alongside rural infrastructure investment and enhanced support for beneficiaries of land restitution and land reform.

At provincial level, total spending on rural development is projected to rise from about R6-billion at present to about R8-billion in 2012/13.

The house heard that government continues to prioritise spending on housing and municipal infrastructure, in support of Minister Tokyo Sexwale's goal of eradicating informal settlements. An additional billion rand will go to the housing grant programme, and R2.5-billion is proposed for municipal infrastructure grants.

"Our total expenditure on housing and community amenities will rise from 69 billion rand this year to over 98 billion rand in 2012/13," Gordhan said.

Spending on transport will be over R65-billion a year over the MTEF period, including completion of the Gautrain project, major improvements in the Gauteng road network and initiation of public transport improvement programmes in 12 cities and metropolitan areas.

And as regards the fight against crime, Gordhan told members that public order and safety accounts for R78-billion this year, growing to over R100-billion in the next three years.

"Policing is part of an interconnected chain in crime prevention and the criminal justice system ? Ministers Radebe, Mthethwa and Mapisa-Nqakula - share a collective responsibility for the security cluster, while Ministers Dlamini-Zuma and Cwele also have particular duties around that table," he said. "We are profoundly conscious of the enormity of these challenges, and the daily risks that tens of thousands of security personnel face on our behalf every day."

To bring this year's spending up to what is needed to meet demands that were unforeseen when the February budget was delivered by Minister Trevor Manuel, "A total of 16.4 billion rand in unforeseeable and unavoidable adjustments has been recommended by the Treasury Committee this year," Gordhan said, "of which 12 billion rand will pay for higher-than-budgeted salary adjustments;

"Allocations are also made to assist municipalities to meet emergency water supply requirements, to respond to several cholera outbreaks, and to assist farmers affected by drought in the Eastern Cape, flooding in the Western Cape, locust outbreaks in Limpopo and foot and mouth disease in Mpumalanga.

"Municipalities will receive 509 million rand more to meet the increased cost of electricity supply to poor households."

To noises of derision from some MPs he announced that R200-million will go to the SABC to meet short-term liquidity requirements. He urged his listeners to applaud, lest the broadcast of the debate break down.

He also noted that R900-million goes to the Department of Health to take account of the increased uptake of HIV and Aids treatment programme.