Government budget for state funerals and functions slashed by R11m over three years 25 May 2021 - 21:26 Image: Esa Alexander The government has announced plans to reduce its spending on events, including states visits and funerals, by R11m in the next three years. Public works and infrastructure minister Patricia de Lille made the revelation during her budget vote on Tuesday. “Under the new prestige programmes for government functions, state visits and funerals will reduce from R94m in 2021/22 to R83m in 2023/24. The department is continuing to implement austerity measures, mainly for state functions, hence the decreasing budget over the medium term for this programme,” she said.