The Economic Freedom Fighters has vowed to keep pushing for the reform of the National Treasury and the South African Reserve Bank. The party on Monday marched on the Treasury in Pretoria in what it had branded ” VAT Victory March” to celebrate the withdrawal of a planned increase in the Value Added Tax. The EFF and the DA had taken the minister to court over his proposed budget which included a VAT increase.
Hundreds turned up for the march which party leaders warned was the only the beginning of mass rolling action aimed at forcing transformation in the country’s treasury which the left in South Africa believe is anti poor.
“This treasury is the one that is running South Africa. They are the ones who decide where to put money. They have not been putting money in massive infrastructure.They have not been putting money in projects that are going to create jobs and grow the economy. Our economy has been growing with 1% because of the treasury saying we must put in place measures that are going to cut money. And that money they cut, they cut from essential services, from the things that serve black people. They cut money in education, they cut money in health, they cut money in police,” said EFF Leader Julius Malema on austerity measures that have become synonymous with the treasury.
The DA and others on the right have been lobbying for lesser state involvement in the economy arguing job creation was naturally the preserve of capital but the EFF argues otherwise and demand more spending towards social services and the strengthening of State Owned Enterprises which it believes have potential to create much needed jobs.
“We want the planning powers of our country to be removed from treasury. It must be a decision of politicians as to what are we going to do this year. And the treasury must just take out the money and finance what the politicians have said they are going to do this year. On Wednesday, we are going to listen to another lie.There will not be a plan to create jobs. There will not be a plan to grow the economy. There won’t be money to give to Transnet. There won’t be money to give to state-owned enterprises. They want to privatise them so that we can be unemployed. PRASA, Transnet, ESCOM, and all those state institutions that are owned by government, hey were created to create jobs for white Afrikaners.
“Now that our white Afrikaners have gone to America, but we must close those things and not give them money so that you cannot get jobs. You need to ask yourself, what is the big infrastructure here in Tshwane that government is building? There’s no any big project in Tshwane that is presided by government. And then where do you expect to get jobs if there is no project that must create jobs? Which factory has been opened? Which minerals are being beneficiated here in South Africa? Nothing,” said Malema during an address outside National Treasury.
Just last week Transport Minister Barbara Greecey said there was no way Transnet could reach its full potential without significant capital investment that she indicated the state simply does not have. Greecey however did rule out overall privatisation of the entity but made it clear the private sector will have to be given an opportunity to get involved.
uMkhonto weSizwe Party led by former president Jacob Zuma is also pushing for reforms at the treasury and the reserve bank citing the same reasons with the EFF and has similarly warned of mass rolling action if changes are not made.
The EFF in its memorandum also demands the employment of black personnel in the treasury. Malema said the treasury had become too powerful and has in the process displaced parliament which he said should be leading decision making in the country.
“We are here to tell treasury we are unemployed because of you. Our economy is not growing because of you. You have turned yourself into a powerful institution.There is no institution that can be more powerful than the people. The power is with the people. The power belongs to the people and we demand the people’s budget.
If it is not for the people, we don’t want it. We want this treasury to get out of IMF and generate money, not money to be spent on servicing the dead, but money that is going to serve the ordinary people on the ground,” said Malema.
The EFF said it expected the Government of National Unity to try and impose further austerity measures and vowed to pushback against that.
“We are here to tell treasury we are unemployed because of you. Our economy is not growing because of you. You have turned yourself into a powerful institution.There is no institution that can be more powerful than the people. The power is with the people. The power belongs to the people and we demand the people’s budget.
If it is not for the people, we don’t want it. We want this treasury to get out of IMF and generate money, not money to be spent on servicing the dead, but money that is going to serve the ordinary people on the ground,” said Malema.