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ANC President Cyril Ramaphosa.
ANC President Cyril Ramaphosa is confident that the 2025 budget will be approved on Wednesday. However, the government of national unity remains divided over the ANC’s proposal to increase Value-Added Tax.
Most political parties in Parliament have opposed the revised budget, which Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana tabled earlier this month.
Speaking at the ANC NEC meeting in Boksburg, National Spokesperson Mahlengi Bhengu-Motsiri reaffirmed Ramaphosa’s stance: “The President said so, take his word for it. But I’m not commenting further on the budget. As the SG (Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula) said, we are confident it will pass on Wednesday.”
VIDEO | Bhengu-Motsiri updates media on the NEC meeting discussions:
Meanwhile, the Democratic Alliance has warned the ANC that if it passes the budget with the help of parties outside the GNU, it will get out of the partnership.
The ANC has been forced to seek support outside the GNU with the hope of adopting the budget in Parliament this week.
DA national spokesperson Willie Aucamp says negotiations should be strictly among parties in the GNU.
“We will not form part of a government of national unity where we did not support the budget. The budget is at the essence of what we are doing in the government. And if the ANC is going to sideline us and make use of other parties, then we challenge them to go and govern with those parties. South Africa does not have an income problem, we’ve got an expenditure problem. We’ve seen over many years how the previous ANC government has misspent this country’s money. We’ve got enough money. We just got to make sure that it is applied correctly.”
VIDEO | DA reacts to GNU partner’s stance on VAT increase:
