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Adding to the pressure faced by the Minister of Finance Mr Enoch Godongwana, the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) has called for his immediate resignation sighting his incompetence.
The EFF is calling for the immediate resignation of the ‘incompetent’ Godongwana and the Director General of the National Treasury, saying the whole budget fiasco is placed on their heads; and should be a reflection on them that they are out of depth and pose a threat to the economic stability of the country, and by consequence, they are a threat to the livelihoods of South Africans.
South Africans woke up to the news that Treasury is withdrawing the VAT hike that was scheduled for 1 May 2025. The EFF has since noted the withdrawal of what it terms a reckless, misguided and ill-conceived 2025 budget.
“The EFF maintains that the 2025 budget, tabled first on 16 February and again on 12 March, which contains a 2 percentage point VAT increase later revised down to 0.5%, mainly to achieve a primary budget surplus, fails to appreciate the degree and depth of the economic crisis South Africa is confronted with
The budget failed to respond decisively to the crisis of unemployment and poor economic growth that now threatens a national economic collapse. South Africans need jobs and economic growth urgently, and the state is the only institution with the capacity to respond — yet the National Treasury remains obsessed with an unscientific fiscal anchor strategy that will only plunge South Africa into a deeper crisis,” said the National Spokesperson of the EFF Sinawo Thambo.
The EFF has noted that the withdrawal of the 2025 Division of Revenue Bill and the Appropriations Bill effectively means that the budget is now withdrawn.
“This renders the 2025 Fiscal Framework — adopted illegally through deceit and lies — redundant. It means that the Minister of Finance has failed to comply with the legal and constitutional obligations governing the budget process,” remarked Thambo
“The EFF calls on the Speaker of the National Assembly to release all correspondence from the Minister of Finance and demands that she convenes a meeting of all leaders of political parties in Parliament. Effectively, the country does not have a budget, and the Finance Minister failed to table a lawful budget by the 31st of March 2025, as required by Section 27 of the Public Finance Management Act.
We call for the National Assembly and the National Council of Provinces to convene and adopt resolutions to withdraw the adopted 2025 Fiscal Framework and Revenue Proposals on the basis that they were adopted following an unprocedural meeting which approved the reports.
The EFF will consider the written out-of-court settlement proposed by the Minister of Finance. However, we maintain that without a full withdrawal and reset of the budget process, whatever follows will remain illegal and unconstitutional.
Furthermore, the EFF calls for the immediate resignation of the Minister of Finance and the Director-General of the National Treasury. This entire budget fiasco should be a reflection for the Minister of Finance and his Director General that they are out of depth and pose a threat to the economic stability of the country and, by consequence, are a threat to the livelihoods of South Africans,” concluded Thambo.
