The parties were reacting to an announcement by the country’s Finance Minister, Enoch Godongwana, that he will table a revised national budget on 21 May 2025.

This, after he has decided to reverse the Value Added Tax (VAT) increase of zero-point five percentage points and an out of court settlement, made an order of the Western Cape High Court, that suspended the increase, and set aside the Fiscal Framework and Revenue Proposals resolutions

Both political parties are demanding an extensive consultation to be conducted by the law makers before the revised budget is tabled and approved. EFF Member of Parliament, Natasha Ntlangwini and Hlengiwe Mkhaliphi said the party’s next recourse will be the courts.

“We do not want to go to the courts forever as Members of Parliament. If we are having disagreements with you, start having your office open. Have proper engagements with political parties, so that we can address the issues of concern as Members of Parliament that we are facing within this portfolio committee that just want to steam roll another process. We are warning you yet again, Speaker. The budget process needs to be properly consulted, proper public consultations and participation needs to happen. We had a Chief Whip's Forum this morning and then we dealt with some of the issues but some of the issues were not clarified speaker for instance there is a court case. There is a court decision that Speaker must pay 50% of the legal costs of the EFF and the Minister and everyone. Therefore Speaker, can you clarify to the nation, are you going to pay that 50% from your own pocket? Because you can’t take the money from the people who (are) also struggling to have ends meet and then pay for the things that we raised with you,” the MPs said.

UMkhonto Wesizwe MP, Mzwanele Manyi supported the EFF and said Didiza must heed the call to avoid any further court battles.

“The Speaker must continue to work in an impartial manner as it were and up to now the Speaker has given tangible evidence of being not being partial by voting for this mess that we are in. The Speaker has physical voted for this mess and that is why for us, as the MK, we say there is merit to say now that the court has vindicated us the posture of all those who said this process is unlawful  the Speaker will have to exercise her independent mind and so on. It does not look like the speaker has done this. So it could be argued that the Speaker did not act in line with the prescripts of the law,” Manyi said.

African National Congress (ANC) Deputy Chief, Doris Dlakude says Parliament must play by the rules.

“As the ANC, in this process, is that as long as the time frames that are constitutionally set for the budget to be passed. As long as those time frames are adhered to then that is what we are expecting all of us to adhere to follow the necessary processes of the passing of the budget so that this country cannot be held in ransom for failing to pass the budget,” Dlakude said.

And the Speaker said she is not going to get into political arguments on the matter.

“The division of revenue is also in the money bills which prescribed the thirty five days. So I do think that all of us as members we understand those time lines as provided by the Money Bills Act as well as when is the outer date when the total budget supposed to be approved. So, working on the programme this is what the National Assembly tabled, look said working with the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) as we know that actual the budget is dealt with by both houses. So, it’s important that there is consultations between those houses when working those budgets,’’ Didiza said.

---SABC---