DA budget compromise discussions won’t include already passed legislations - ANC

JOHANNESBURG - The African National Congress (ANC) said already passed legislation like the Expropriation, Basic Education Laws Amendment (BELA), and National Health Insurance (NHI) acts will not be part of the budget compromise discussions with the Democratic Alliance (DA).  

Over the next couple of weeks, the ANC is set to begin discussions with its Government of National Unity (GNU) partners on getting them to support the recently tabled national budget proposals.  

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The DA said it won’t support the budget in its current form unless there are commitments to roll back legislation like the Expropriation Act, which it says chases investment away.  

At a media briefing on Thursday, ANC secretary general Fikile Mbalula said while the party is open to compromising, this doesn’t include legislation already signed into law.  

“The fact of the matter is they can only be overturned if ever the Constitutional Court says so, or any other court. They have gone through all the processes. The DA and whoever is opposed to all of this – BELA, NHI, and all that – they were defeated in that process.”