Administrative, governance crisis could be averted when NA votes on Appropriation Bill: Analyst
The House sitting comes amid political infighting in the Government of National Unity (GNU), with the Democratic Alliance (DA) and African National Congress (ANC) still not on the same page on some issues not related to fiscal policy.
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The DA previously threatened to withhold crucial votes for the departments headed by ministers implicated in corruption, including Minister of Higher Education Nobuhle Nkabane and Minister of Human Settlements Thembi Simelane.
Every department's vote must be passed for the bill to pass.
Political scientist and lecturer in the Department of Political Studies at Walter Sisulu University, Mbasa Mvenene, said the DA will have to pick the lesser of two evils.
'If they decide to stick to their guns, they'll be accused of putting political optics over public interest. If they decide to prioritise public interests, then they'll be in hot water with their supporters.'
Mvenene said the budget process, since the initial budget speech earlier in 2025, has exposed just how fragile the GNU really is.
'The relationship between the DA and the ANC is one that is toxic and one that is transactional. It now seems like they [the DA] are being treated more like a side chick than a partner in a marriage.'
Although the worst-case scenario seems less likely now, if the National Assembly doesn't agree, the Public Finance Management Act allows the government to continue spending up to 45% of the previous year's budget to keep services running, but only for the first four months of the financial year.
However, no new programmes or changes to allocations can be made until the new budget is approved.
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