Dictionary: F | Western Cape Government

Dictionary: F

Definitions for government terms, listed alphabetically.
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Faith-Based Organisations (FBOs) - Non-profit organisations whose members share the same religious beliefs.
Fauna - Animals.
Feasibility study - Research into the viabilty of a proposed project or business.
Fertility rate - The average number of children that a woman gives birth to in her lifetime.

In 1998, the fertility rate in South Africa was 2.9 children per woman.
Financial policy - The guidelines and rules stating how Government will spend its money.
Financial Services Board (FSB) - Independent statutory institution that oversees the South African Non-Banking Financial Services Industry in the public interest.

For more information visit the FSB website.
Fiscal - Government finance, including income from taxation and loans and expenditure.
Fiscal Year (FY) - The financial year. Budgets and financial audits are based on this.

In South Africa the fiscal year starts on 1 April and ends on 31 March of the following year. So the fiscal year 2003/2004 started on 1 April 2003 and ends on 31 March 2004.
Floral kingdom - The world is divided into six floral kingdoms. Each consists of a specific type of flora. The Cape Floral Kingdom is the smallest but most diverse.
Fluoride - Element that is often added to the water supply and dental products (like toothpaste) to help ensure strong, healthy teeth.
Foetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) - Physical and intellectual developmental disability caused when a foetus is exposed to alcohol because the mother drank liquor while pregnant.
Food security - Access to adequate and sustainable food supplies.
Foreign exchange - The system used to exchange one currency for another. This enables international transactions to take place.
Foreign investment - Investments made in South Africa by people from outside of the country. This brings money into the country.
Foreign relations - Dealings and interactions with other countries. This impacts on trade between the countries and political relations.
Foreign trade - Commercial transactions with other countries.
Foster Child Grant - This grant is available to anyone who looks after a foster child. It is supposed to help pay for the child's food, clothes and education.
Fostering - Looking after children that don't have families or cannot live with their families. It is usually not a permanent arrangement.
Fraud - Lying or deceiving someone causing them to lose out, usually financially.
Frequently asked question (FAQ) - Questions that are regularly posed. Websites and information packs often contain sections answering these questions.
Further Education and Training (FET) - Level of education that includes Grades 10 to 12 and courses of an equivalent standard offered at technical (now called FET) colleges.
Fynbos - The indigenous flora of the Western Cape. These plants don't grow anywhere else in the world. Fynbos is of particular botanical interest because of the great number of species.