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Daily Maverick
04-06-2025
- Business
- Daily Maverick
SA almost has a Budget — finance committee adopts fiscal framework, despite MK and EFF rejections
After multiple false starts, a key aspect of the 2025 Budget was adopted in Parliament on Wednesday, with the support of the ANC and DA. When the second iteration of the 2025 Budget came before Parliament's finance committee in April, the divisions in the Government of National Unity (GNU) were on full display. The Democratic Alliance (DA) refused to support the adoption of the fiscal framework and it only moved through the committees and then the National Assembly thanks to the support of non-GNU parties such as ActionSA. On Wednesday, 4 June, the GNU's largest members, the African National Congress (ANC) and DA, finally found each other and the fiscal framework was passed by a vote of seven to three. The passing of the fiscal framework is a key step in the budgeting process. This framework establishes economic policy and revenue projections and sets the overall limits to government spending. This report must be adopted within 16 days after Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana tables the Budget. While the DA opposed the fiscal framework in Budget 2.0, Wednesday's situation was different, with both the ANC and DA supporting the measure against the opposition of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) and uMkhonto Wesizwe (MK) party. Wednesday's meeting was briefly halted to find a bigger venue in Parliament to accommodate all the MPs, journalists and officials, as well as ensure it was recorded, in line with MPs' requests. There were several comments and queries by MK party MPs, including axed finance minister Des van Rooyen and former Eskom boss Brian Molefe. At one point, Molefe said the fiscal framework should include the expanded unemployment rate (43.1%) rather than the narrow definition (32.9%), but his suggestion was shot down. The MK and EFF also criticised the increase in the fuel levy, with Molefe describing it as 'regressive' and 'not pro-growth'. On Tuesday, the Western Cape Division of the High Court dismissed the EFF's urgent bid to block the fuel levy increase. Issues were raised on whether the Budget was that of an austerity budget, denied by the ANC – an answer the MK party and EFF continued to reject. It was questioned several times during the meeting whether MPs were making points simply to grandstand 'because there were cameras'. This seemed evident when EFF MP Omphile Maotwe raised objections over a section of the report that dealt with 'not providing bailouts' to state-owned entities (SOEs), rather than 'capitalising SOEs'. Maotwe said she was at Transnet when she claimed it had been successful under the management of fellow finance committee member Brian Molefe – the former Transnet CEO turned State Capture accused, and now a member of the MK Party on its parliamentary benches. Next week, the National Assembly will vote on whether to adopt the fiscal framework in a sitting at the Cape Town International Convention Centre. When the fiscal framework is passed, other steps in the budgeting process include the passing of the Division of Revenue Bill and the Appropriation Bill. During the tabling of the fiscal framework in the National Assembly in April, the ANC appeared jubilant when it was passed without the DA's support, while the DA had harsh words for the ANC and other parties who supported that version of the Budget. It's unlikely there will be such acrimony next week. DM
Eyewitness News
04-06-2025
- Business
- Eyewitness News
Parliament's finance committee approves fiscal framework, revenue proposals underpinning budget
CAPE TOWN - Parliament's standing committee on finance has approved the fiscal framework and revenue proposals that underpin the 2025 budget, setting the scene for the less contentious adoption of its report in the National Assembly than was the case in March. Following two days of deliberations, the African National Congress (ANC), Democratic Alliance (DA) and ActionSA voted in favour of the report. However, the uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party and Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) dug in their heels saying the fuel levy is an unnecessary inclusion that will impact the poor. Wednesday's joint meeting of the finance committees of both houses was far less tense than when it considered an earlier version of the budget framework, which contained a value-added tax (VAT) increase that split the Government of National Unity (GNU). ALSO READ: Main opposition parties reject Treasury's assertion of pro-poor budget However, opposition parties took issue with the increase in the fuel levy, which was included in this third version of the budget tabled by the finance minister two weeks ago. The MK Party's Brian Molefe said other means could have been found to raise R4 billion in a R2 trillion budget. "The fuel levy is regressive and it is not pro-growth, because the fuel levy dampens consumption, expenditure, and it is inflationary as well." After losing Tuesday's court case on the matter, the EFF's Omphile Maotwe made one last appeal for the committee to retract the increase. "If we can stand up and say we reject the fuel levy, that's something we can give the people of South Africa." But with no support to force the finance minister's hand again, both opposition parties rejected the fiscal framework and the committee's report, which will be put to a house vote next Wednesday.
TimesLIVE
30-05-2025
- Politics
- TimesLIVE
MK Party MP Brian Molefe earns master's degree in law from Unisa
MK Party MP Brian Molefe has graduated with a Master of Laws (LLM) degree from the University of South Africa (Unisa). The former Eskom CEO's dissertation was titled 'Euthanasia and the right to dignity in South African law: A critique of Stransham-Ford'. 'It's about time we talk about the dignity people have lost over the years as a result of our history and how that is going to be fixed,' Molefe said. 'We are ready to engage on matters of human rights and dignity.' Molefe earned his LLB degree in 2022 from Unisa. In 2015 he was conferred an honorary degree of Doctor of Engineering (DEng) from Glasgow Caledonian University in Scotland. His other qualifications include a master's in business leadership, a postgraduate diploma in economics and a bachelor of commerce. He served as Transnet CEO in 2011 and was in the office of the premier of Limpopo for two years. In 2022 was implicated in alleged corrupt activities in the report of the Zondo commission into state capture.
