UMkhonto Wesizwe has threatened to render South Africa ungovernable should the government proceed to impose a 2 percent increase of Tue Value Added Tax.
The party marched to the National Treasury and the South African Reserve Bank on Monday warning the government to go ahead with the move at its own peril.
Disagreements within the GNU resulted in the last minute postponement of Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana on the 19th of last month.
The party accused the GNU of sacrificing the poor in order to appease the wealthy ( largely white).
“This uncaring GNU must collect the billions of rands owed to Eskom by big business instead of burdening already strained masses of our people. You touch the poor you touch MK, you touch the poor you touch President Zuma,” read the memorandum presented by MK Parliamentary Chief Whip Mzwanele Manyi.
MK also challenged the government to explore other options that won’t push the poor into further constraints such as corporate tax as well as taxing the super wealthy.
“There’s also tax avoidance and capital flight by big business in this country that must be dealt with. Those businesses owe the government SARS must go after them,” read the memorandum.
Member of MK’s National High Command and deployee to Gauteng Luther Lebelo also accused both the central bank of being law unto themselves alleging that the two institutions were not under the control of the finance minister or anyone in government but were being influenced by the so called ‘ white monopoly capital’
(reference to big business).
“Godongwana does not control national treasury or what you call the department of finance. He get told by whites what to do by whites who have been in employed there since apartheid. Even the 2 percent we are talking about is not decision of Godongwana or even of Ramaphosa, they are just messengers of white capital so we are not addressing them, we are addressing white capital. We are gentle now but if they don’t respect us, we will pull a march bigger march that will render this country ungovernable,” he said while addressing protesters.
Manyi said the party could also take the government to court and “make it uncomfortable” for the GNU in parliament.
“When we speak to them in parliament they don’t take us serious. We might make it uncomfortable for them in that space and can even take the government to various courts, those are all peaceful means and lawful,” said Manyi.
Godongwana is scheduled to deliver the budget speech amid uncertainty as GNU parties continue to differ publicly on the budget.