The Democratic Alliance (DA) said that Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana’s Budget Speech did not go far enough to meet the vision presented by President Cyril Ramaphosa during his State of the Nation Address (Sona).
Godongwana tabled his first Budget Speech before a joint sitting of Parliament on Wednesday.
He also warned that if economic growth did not strengthen in the period ahead, then the country would face more difficult fiscal adjustments.
Opposition parties have largely welcomed his proposals, describing them as balanced, however, most have argued that political constraints had stopped the minister from taking even bolder steps to reduce debt.
The DA in its criticism of Godongwana’s Budget Speech said that it simply did not live up to President Ramaphosa’s Sona.
This is yet another occasion where the main opposition seems to be pitting Ramaphosa against his Cabinet, this after heaps of praise for his Sona and then seeking a motion of no confidence in all his ministers.
The DA’s shadow Finance Minister Deon George has questioned Godongwana’s political will when it comes to taking what he described as necessary steps to strengthen the economy.
Meanwhile, the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) spent time demonstrating before and after the speech over loans that the country had taken from the IMF and the World Bank.
Its deputy, Floyd Shivambu, said that history must show that the EFF stood up during this period.
He said that the focus should be on mass industrialization.
“Enoch Godongwana never said anything about industrialization. He never said anything about using the procurement power of the state of government,” Shivambu said.
Godongwana’s speech will be debated in Parliament over the coming days.
-EWN
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