The postponement of the tabling of the 2025 budget speech has triggered some anxiety from political parties, civic groups, the business sector, and ordinary citizens.
Despite the unprecedented postponement of the budget which was initially scheduled for 21 February 2025, parliament has sought to guarantee that it’ll be delivered on the new date of 12 March 2025, without further delays.
During today’s sitting of the National Assembly Programme Committee, the Chairperson of Parliament Committees, Cedric Frolick, gave the assurance to members.
“The matter was raised strongly yesterday at the committee of chairpersons around the postponement of the budget.
The speaker indicated clearly that the budget will be tabled, and Parliament has mechanisms in place to deal with such eventualities,” said Frolick.
The postponement was caused by disagreements among members of the Government of National Unity, GNU, over a proposed two percentage points VAT increase.
Furthermore, cabinet earlier this week announced that GNU partners have reached an agreement of the revised budget that Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana will table to the nation next week Wednesday.
Meanwhile, although there’s a commitment to not delay the budget further, the uMkhonto weSizwe Party has approached the office of the Auditor General, to probe what it describes as “wasteful spending incurred in postponing the budget.
