PARLIAMENT - The National Assembly has passed the 2025 Appropriation Bill, after weeks of negotiations.
The budget completed its long march through parliament. Way back in February, the budget speech didn’t happen due to wrangling over Treasury’s proposed 2% VATE hike.
READ: Budget 2025 | National Assembly debates Appropriation Bill
In March there was a lower VAT hike but that was challenged by the DA and EFF in court.
After negotiations, Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana scrapped vote and presented a new budget in May that includes a Fuel Levy Increase.
So third time lucky?
After the President fired Andrew Whitfield from the DA, the party in the government of National Unity said it would reject the budgets of departments led by Ministers implicated in corruption.
That’s the final step in the budget process.
On Wednesday, however, the party voted in favour of the Appropriations Bill that includes all departmental allocations and it passed through the NA.
Parliament approved the bill, by 262 votes to 90.
The Chairperson of the Standing Committee on Appropriations, Mmusi Maimane discussed the outcomes with eNCA.