Impact of COVID-19 on projected budget balance in South Africa 2020-2021
The implications of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic on the South Africa budget balance is expected to be drastic. As of June 2020, the budget deficit was revised down to 13.1 percent of the GDP, considering the virus outbreak will persist till the end of the year. Before COVID-19, the deficit was projected at 4.5 percent of the GDP. Moreover, in the worst-case scenario, the deficit for 2021 was reviewed to 12.6 percent, whereas the projection for the same year was at 4.1 percent before the outbreak.