Finance Minister Godongwana apologises to South Africans for Budget Speech postponement
Godongwana is delivering his long-awaited budget speech on Wednesday, after his initial attempt was postponed in February.
Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana delivered the national budget for 2025 - weeks after it was postponed due to disagreements within the Government of National Unity (GNU). Picture credit: Phando at Parliament
JOHANNESBURG - Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana has apologised to South Africans for the delays in presenting his budget policy statement.
Godongwana delivered his long-awaited budget speech on Wednesday, after his initial attempt was postponed in February.
The postponement occurred due to dissatisfaction among parties in the Government of National Unity (GNU) regarding Godongwana’s proposal to raise the value-added tax (VAT) by two percentage points.
In the opening of his Budget Speech, Godongwana highlighted that the delay underscored the challenges of a coalition government.
"It was an inconvenience for this Parliament and the people of South Africa and indeed we owe this Parliament an apology and we owe the people of South Africa an apology. No doubt about that. We didn’t like the postponement."
But Godongwana said that although the postponement was unprecedented, it triggered much-needed public discourse.
"The postponement of the tabling of the Budget three weeks ago was a regrettable, but perhaps an understandable feature of multiparty governance. It is a sign of a maturing and resilient democracy. The delay has stimulated an unprecedented level of public debate about the difficult policy trade-offs we, as a nation, face."