Political parties 'don't want a repeat' of Budget drama

The chairpersons of standing committee on public accounts and appropriations are confident that the 2025/26 Budget will be passed by Parliament by the end of next month.

This after Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana tabled a revised budget on Wednesday after he withdrew the Revenue and Appropriations Bills last month in order to propose expenditure adjustments amid a court case by the DA and the EFF, as well as negotiations between the ANC and some of the smaller parties.

Speaking during a media briefing by chairpersons of finance cluster committees, Scopa chairperson Songezo Zibi said part of the consultation by Godongwana with Government of National Unity leaders was to give a detailed presentation on what was in the Budget.

“Unless something changes this morning, subject to the amendment that Parliament has to make as part of the appropriation process, the parties in the GNU will ultimately support the Budget. So it will pass. We will not have this scenario where the Budget does not pass,” Zibi said.

He warned that were they to get to a point of being irresponsible, civil servants won’t be paid their salaries.

“I don’t think we should get there,” said Zibi, who is also the leader of Rise Mzansi.

His sentiments were echoed by standing committee on appropriations chairperson Mmusi Maimane.

“It will pass, I can give that assurance. There is political will to make sure it passes.

"I don’t think there is a single party that wants to see the drama of the last number of months,” he said.

Maimane, who is also the leader of Build One South Africa, said the question was not that the budget will be rejected, but whether Parliament can amend it.

“We should see a picture of how we amend the budget consistent with the Money Bills and Related Matters Act. The way to do that is to obsess, not about the current financial year but about the inner and outer years,” he said.

Maimane said he was impressing on members of the appropriation committee to think about the adjustment they could propose in the event Godongwana makes announcements during the upcoming Medium Term Budget Policy statement later this year.

Parliament has until the end of July to pass the budget. Failure to do so will result in the temporary expenditure by government based on previous year’s allocation being reduced from the permissible 40% to 10%.

Addressing journalists before the Budget was tabled on Wednesday, Godongwana emphasised the importance of passing the Budget, saying the 10% to be spent was less than the public service wage bill.

“If we don’t finish the budget by the end of August, we are going to experience what the Americans experience, which is closing government,” Godongwana said.

Asked what the standing committee on finance would do differently to ensure the fiscal framework report did not lead to a legal challenge, committee chairperson Joe Maswanganyi defended their decision to adopt the report, a move that had prompted the EFF and the DA to approach the Western Cape High Court.

Maswanganyi said MPs had raised views with a mandate from their political parties.

“That meeting voted for a fiscal framework report. The majority voted. If other members are not happy, it is up to them. They have to win elections next time, that is the rule of the game,” he said.

“The National Assembly adopted the fiscal framework report on that day. That’s how we run Parliament,” he said.

Asked whether they shared the same sentiments of Godongwana, that the process to amend the budget was cumbersome, Maswanganyi would only say that they can amend it.

“It is the legislation of Parliament. Like any legislation, it can be amended,” he said.

But, Maimane noted that it was difficult to amend the budget due to the tight timeframes set out in the Money Bill and Related Matters Act.

He outlined some of the procedures to be followed within a short time before the passing of the budget was finalised.

Maimane also said the timelines for the Money Bill and Related Maters Act needed to be adjusted to give power to Parliament to amend the Budget and also add capacity to the Parliamentary Budget Office to do research.

Cape Times