ANC officials did not meet with Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana to discuss the budget, says Mbalula.
ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula has pushed back against the opposition after protests rejecting potential tax hikes ahead of Wednesday’s budget speech.
Mbalula addressed the media on Monday following the ANC’s National Working Committee (NWC) three-day visit to the Free State.
The NWC, led by ANC President Cyril Ramaphosa, engaged with the party’s Provincial Executive Committees (PEC) after consulting party branches and Regional Executive Committees (RECs) over the weekend.
ANC didn’t discuss budget speech with Godongwana
During Monday’s briefing, Mbalula clarified that ANC officials had not met with Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana to discuss the finalisation of the 2025/2026 national budget.
“Like all South Africans, we want to know and are interested in the budget.
“We want the minister to deliver the budget on Wednesday, and we keep ourselves abreast about what challenges we are facing from the point of view of this budget, and we discussed it in that context,” he stated.
The budget presentation in parliament was postponed on 19 February due to disagreements among the government of national unity (GNU) partners over a proposed value-added tax (VAT) increase aimed at addressing a R60 billion shortfall.
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He stressed the ANC’s stance against further delays, emphasising the need for collective decision-making.
“It’s an important item right now in our political lives that must be resolved, and we can’t resolve it on our own. The government cannot resolve it on its own.
“It must be resolved in concert with the people, and that’s what is important to take our country forward.”
Watch the briefing below:
Protests against tax hike
Mbalula also dismissed opposition to a VAT increase following protests by uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) party supporters outside the National Treasury and South African Reserve Bank (SARB) offices in Pretoria on Monday.
“We see people protesting and raising issues and all of that. It’s nice to protest about anything, but they don’t provide solutions.
“Others say tax the wealthy and corporate tax; it has been happening, and that is it. The fundamental question before us is how we address the shortfall.”
READ MORE: 2025 Budget: ‘VAT is not a poor people’s tax’ – Mantashe
The ANC secretary-general reaffirmed the party’s commitment to ensuring that Godongwana presents the budget with the backing of all GNU partners.
“We support the minister and working with everybody, at the level of government and the government working with everybody, we are confident that it will produce a budget,” he said.
“We discussed and got reports about the budget, and that is it. As a political party, we exist for that.
“We need to get a briefing from our deployees and then we discuss the matter of the budget as ongoing,” Mbalula concluded.
ANC to ask EFF to support budget speech?
Godongwana recently expressed surprise that some ANC Cabinet ministers rejected the proposed 2% VAT hike, despite reportedly receiving approval from the president and the party’s top officials to expand the zero-rated basket to protect the poor.
Discussions around a possible 0.50% to 1% increase in VAT, along with other proposals, continue, with no final decision yet.
There is speculation that the ANC may turn to the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) for budget support if no agreement is reached within the GNU.
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