Cape Town – The DA cancelled a scheduled briefing on Tuesday as negotiations over the 2025 budget intensified.
The briefing was meant to outline the party’s stance before the budget vote in parliament’s finance committees, The Citizen, reported.
If approved, the budget will proceed to the National Assembly on Wednesday.
The currency traded 0.1% weaker at R18.34 per dollar in Johannesburg on Tuesday after earlier appreciating as much as 0.3%.
DA Finance spokesperson Mark Burke says unless the DA and the ANC can agree within the GNU, there’s no point in either of them negotiating with other GNU members. Burke says those talks won’t add up to the votes needed to pass the budget.
Watch: https://t.co/bNLGNpk1OZ… pic.twitter.com/KwFLF6luKQ
— Newzroom Afrika (@Newzroom405) April 1, 2025
ANC Chief Whip Mdumiseni Ntuli says the party does not know if the DA will remain a member of the GNU if parliament passes the budget in its current form. He says no party has remained in a coalition government while it doesn’t support the budget.
Watch: https://t.co/pZgCyyrNFA… pic.twitter.com/7ultzzsgVB
— Newzroom Afrika (@Newzroom405) April 1, 2025
The IFP, which is the 3rd biggest party in the GNU, said it will be supporting the national budget.
Velenkosini Hlabisa, IFP President, said while the budget has a 1% VAT increase, it also has “cushioning” policies like increase to social welfare grants & zero-rated items. TCG pic.twitter.com/giTG2XrQVJ
— EWN Reporter (@ewnreporter) April 1, 2025