South Africans are not holding back their reactions after the 2025 Budget Speech was postponed. The Budget Speech was set to be delivered by Minister of Finance, Enoch Godongwana on Wednesday.
National Assembly Speaker Thoko Didiza announced that the Budget Speech would not proceed as Cabinet Ministers in the Government of National Unity (GNU) could not agree on certain matters.
It is believed that a proposed 2% increase on the Value Added Tax (VAT) was one of the main reasons behind the disagreement between GNU Cabinet ministers.
It has been reported that President Cyril Ramaphosa called an emergency meeting to address issues, but there was no consensus on the matter.
Godongwana’s Budget speech will be postponed March.
Several South Africans have taken to X to express their feelings about the Budget Speech being postponed, here are the reactions from South Africans:
Of course the budget speech has never been postponed before because we never had a coalition government at national level. Budget speeches have been postponed many times in municipalities where there is a multiparty government. People must calm down!
— Luyolo (@L_Gcuda) February 19, 2025
The budget speech was postponed without the opposition's permission. GNU parties are part of the government and therefore their decisions cannot be made arbitrarily without the opposition's consent on important matters.
I don’t understand how a budget speech can be postponed at the last minute due to its contents (which in reality are well-known to all parties before the speech).
— Cissé (@hauteparleur20) February 19, 2025
There’s just something strange about all of this.
The Irony of a budget speech causing more wasteful spending isnt lost on us. These people.. make me so tired of this country.
— Retic (@Retic01) February 19, 2025
Democratic Alliance in particular Gogo Hellen Zille, told the ANC that the DA won't vote for that budget speech (2%VAT increase), hence the budget speech was postponed so technically DA saved us today.
The minister should table the proposal to postpone the budget speech in Parliament for parliamentarians to deliberate and vote on it. It cannot be that there are secret discussions to postpone a parliamentary calendar outside of Parliament.#BudgetSpeech2025
— Engineer Ya Moreki 🇿🇦 (@Makatane_) February 19, 2025
IOL