Limited period for political parties to review their candidate lists to fill National Assembly vacancies
CAPE TOWN - The window has opened for a limited period for political parties to review the candidate lists used to fill vacancies in the National Assembly.
Of particular interest during this window, is the Umkhonto we Sizwe Party, which has for the past year not filled all of its 58 seats owing to disputes over its lists which have led to court battles and the mass removal of names from its lists.
In the first of two opportunities for this year, political parties have until Thursday to make changes.
The Electoral Act makes provision for two review opportunities in the second year after an election, the first being a seven-day period which started on Friday, the day marking a year since members were designated to the assembly.
Parliament said that during the first period, parties will be able to supplement their lists to fill all existing vacancies.
It may also replace no more than 25 percent of those appearing on the list and also change the order in which they appear in the line of succession.
After that, political parties will only be able to tinker with their lists until 12 June 2026.
Currently, the official opposition has the most vacancies.
MK Party Spokesperson Nhlamulo Ndhlela has indicated the party plans to fill eight seats.
Last week the party announced after axing Floyd Shivambu as secretary general, that he's due to make a return to Parliament.
However Parliament said that the party is yet to submit any changes it plans to make, and the speaker is not scheduled to administer the oath to any new MPs this week.
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ANC MP and standing committee on finance chair Joe Maswanganyi moved for the adoption of the fiscal framework and revenue proposals report, saying that processing a budget within a coalition government can be complex due to the competing interests involved. In Godongwana's defence, Maswanganyi said anyone calling for Godongwana's head was out of tune with the realities facing coalition governments around the world. 'Considering these realities, particularly the tariffs and trade tensions initiated by the US , it is prudent to pay attention to the five-year plan ... This is not an austerity budget. The Budget has garnered praise for being pro-poor and pro-growth.' He said stakeholders welcomed the scrapping of the proposed VAT hike ahead of its effective day of May 1, but raised concerns over the financial impact of the fuel levy hike on business as well as middle-to-low-income households around the country. 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She called the scrapping of the VAT hike a victory for democracy and South Africans. 'When citizens watch, comment and engage the budget process, the democracy grows, and this is precisely what the constitution envisioned — a government accountable to the people and not the other way around.' She said the GNU must prove that government can function across spheres when the stakes demand it. She said the projected 77% debt-to-GDP ratio was unsustainable and that the country could not be expected to build more schools and hospitals on the back of untenable debt levels. EFF MP Omphile Maotwe said her party rejected the fiscal framework and revenue proposal report as a project which would condemn South Africans to considerable tax burdens, courtesy of the 'former liberation movement', the ANC. 'It took the EFF to approach the Western Cape High Court to stop the VAT increase. If it were not for the EFF South Africans would already be paying 15.5% VAT today. The people of South Africa know now without any doubt that the EFF is the only dependable tool in the hands of the poor and the working class.' She said the fuel levy increase was an attack on motorists, the poor and the working class, who were already facing rising costs before the proposal was tabled. IFP MP Nhlanhla Hadebe said his party accepted the report. Supporting the report, Patriotic Alliance MP Ashley Sauls said the 2025 budget process tested the GNU's resolve as the government remained intact through an ordeal that has collapsed coalition governments elsewhere in the world. Freedom Front Plus MP Wouter Wessels pointed out that MPs calling for a wealth tax were calling for a deeper tax on themselves and their steep salaries. He said a credible budget was one where every rand and cent was channelled towards the benefit of ordinary South Africans. 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He said while the ACDP believed in miracles, it appeared to be a remote possibility that South Africa's GDP would grow well beyond 2% in the coming years. UDM MP Nqabayomzi Kwankwa said the fuel levy was worse than VAT as there was no way of mitigating its regressive impact on low-income households, and anyone who considered the scrapping of VAT a victory for these households was being 'hypocritical'. Supporting the report, RISE Mzansi MP Songezo Zibi said the national balance sheet remained unsustainable as over 80% of the revenue collected by the SA Revenue Service (Sars) pays for over R820bn in salaries, R420bn in debt service costs and R440bn a year to the social security package. 'That leaves very little money to invest in the things we need to unlock economic growth and create sustainable jobs. [Dated] national and local infrastructure continues to choke our economy, together with policy assumptions that still assume we live in the 1960s.' 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