South Africans have expressed mixed expectations of Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana’s 2025 Budget Policy Statement in Cape Town this afternoon.
They include some economists who have painted a bleak picture of the country’s economic future.
The budget is government’s most important document which affects the economy and the lives of all South Africans.
It is also seen as a critical tool for shaping economic policy and determining government’s priorities.
Ordinary citizens have called on the minister to address the needs of the poor.
“It’s a big day for those who are very well suited in the bank because our budget has always been anti-poor. If you look at them, they’ve never been addressing any issues of the poor, so it will be more of the same for those who are poor. I really feel sorry because it’s not going to do anything this budget,” says one person.
Another adds: “I think the Minister of Finance must stop this thing of budget cuts to serious portfolios like national defence, education and especially health. These are some of the serious portfolios that should be given enough budgets.”
Budget 2025 | Godongwana expected to address unemployment rate:
Meanwhile, various organisations including the South African Federation of Trade Unions (Saftu) and the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) will protest outside Parliament ahead of the first budget speech under the Government of National Unity (GNU).
Saftu is calling on the minister to increase the public sector budget, saying it does not want an anti-poor budget.
Organisations including the South African Communist Party (SACP), the National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union (Nehawu) and Youth Capital have reiterated their rejection of a reduction in funding departments such as education and health.
The Western Cape Education Department announced in August last year that about 2 400 teachers would be retrenched due to a nearly R4 billion budget shortfall.
Saftu Spokesperson Newton Masuku says the aim of the protest is to put the needs of the working class under the spotlight.
“At the core of the theme of this year’s protest, we are saying they must end austerity, we are opposed to austerity. As I have said, about 87% of the population depends on the public healthcare system. And then the nurse-to-patient ratio, the doctor-to-nurse ratio is such that it’s impracticable for those professionals to render services to the public because they do not have sufficient funding from the national treasury. The same is applicable to education, applicable to Home Affairs, applicable to policing and so forth and so on. So, you can’t on the one hand say you want to build a capable state while continuing to cut budget in pursuit of primary budget surplus.”
PODCAST | SAFTU to protest outside parliament as the Finance Minister unveils the 2025 budget:
