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Political parties react to Gordhan’s budget

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Political parties have largely welcomed Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan’s budget speech. Most say the Minister did the best with the little he had.

Gordhan presented a R 1.4 Trillion budget amid fears that the country could be downgraded further by international ratings agencies.
Freedom Front Plus (FF Plus) leader Pieter Mulder says the minister has gone back to the fundamentals of budgeting. He says he is worried though that after years of mismanaging the economy, this speech might have come too late.

Mulder says, “It’s a back to Economic Basics Budget, in that sense, I welcome it. It showcases fiscal discipline, looking at revenue and not over taxing people. I however worry that it’s the same ANC that got us into trouble by not doing these things.”

Congress of the People (COPE) President Mosiuoa Lekota says even though the minister has many constraints, his budget shows a positive intent. Lekota says however the size of the budget remains a big impediment to growth.

“You have noticed that in the SOE’s we talk of merging the airlines. And when we talk of getting minority partner it’s not a constraint. If you look into DFI’s we talk of the role they can play. I don’t think that is a constraint.”

The National Freedom Party (NPF) for its part says the minister should have put more emphasis on fighting poor service delivery.
the country will now not be able to avoid a credit downgrade. Democratic Alliance (DA) leader Mmusi Maimane says he is disappointed the minister did not speak much about job creation and relief for farmers who have been hit hard by the current drought. He added that the country will now not be able to avoid a credit downgrade. ANC Secretary General Gwede Mantashe was asked if the budget was not constrained by concerns that it might not be accepted by the party’s alliance partners. Mantashe says, “You have noticed that in the SOE’s we talk of merging the airlines. And when we talk of getting minority partner it’s not a constraint. If you look into DFI’s we talk of the role they can play. I don’t think that is a constraint.”
Steve Swart of the African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP) has welcomed the consolidation of State owned enterprises.
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– By Joseph Mosia

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