Main opposition parties reject Treasury's assertion of pro-poor budget
CAPE TOWN - The main opposition parties in Parliament have rejected the National Treasury's assertion that the national budget is pro-poor and not one of austerity.
The uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party also slammed the National Treasury's economic growth projections, saying it consistently gets it wrong.
The party told a joint meeting of the finance committees that it believes the hike in the fuel levy will also have a severe impact on growth.
The meeting on Wednesday finalised its report on the fiscal framework, which underpins the budget's money bills.
The MK Party's Des van Rooyen said the National Treasury is being overly optimistic on its GDP growth projection of 1.4% for this year.
READ: Experts say economic momentum remains elusive after weak GDP growth
Van Rooyen said the budget is being premised on the wrong variables.
'We are not speaking of a once-off prediction. We are speaking about something that is well recorded. National Treasury has been missing its targets for the past 10 years.'
The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF)'s Omphile Maotwe, meanwhile, insisted government's economic reform programme Operation Vulindlela won't lead to the desired economic growth.
'Just go look at what the public-private partnerships are doing in the State-owned entities. We are not saying we are closing them out. But there's nothing they are bringing to the table. I can assure you.'
Former Transnet chief executive, Brian Molefe, now an MK Member of Parliament (MP), backed Maotwe, who also previously worked at the freight company, saying during his tenure, the company was profitable.
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Ah, Chief Dwasaho! As twilight settles over Mahlamba Ndlopfu, one imagines you peering out at the political pitch beyond your manicured lawns. My leader, the grand match of South African politics unfolds bizarrely. The latest wicket to tumble is that of Floyd Shivambu — once a fiery opening batsman of the so-called radical left — now sent back to the pavilion under clouds of disgrace. The crowd gasps as this former prodigy of the revolution is clean-bowled by fate. In a game of high stakes and even higher rhetoric, Shivambu's fall from grace has been nothing short of a dramatic reverse swing, catching even seasoned political analysts off guard. All things former: Floyd Shivambu's political innings There was a time when Shivambu strutted on to the field with all the confidence of a star player destined for centuries. He made his debut as a loud voice in the African National Congress Youth League (ANCYL) — a young lion roaring alongside Julius Malema until both were exiled for insubordination in 2012. Unfazed, Shivambu helped to found the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) in 2013, donning the iconic red beret as its deputy president and commissar for policy and political education. Those were heady days of revolution on the front foot: hurling firebrand slogans, envisioning nationalised mines and land expropriation without compensation, and rattling the establishment with every swing of their bats at the status quo. But politics is a game of glorious uncertainties. By 2024, sensing a change in pitch, Shivambu switched teams mid-match. Less than a year ago, he dramatically walked away from the EFF and cast his lot with a new side, Jacob Zuma's uMkhonto Wesizwe (MK) party. He switched sides from Malema's youthful rebels to Zuma's ageing pseudo-revolutionaries, a move that left many political observers gobsmacked. Overnight, Shivambu traded red overalls in Parliament for singing ' Umshini Wami ' under Zuma's wing. He proved that in politics, strange bedfellows are par for the course. He fancied himself at the crease as secretary-general of an outfit named after the ANC's old armed wing, humming liberation tunes and reviving comradeship and Struggle. It was to be a new innings under the patronage of uBaba kaDuduzane — the wily old master bowler Zuma himself. Shivambu hoped to prove his revolutionary fire still burned outside the EFF's stadium. For Malema and the EFF, this defection was the ultimate betrayal — the Red Beret turned his coat mid-tournament. Shivambu's misstep Alas, my leader, Shivambu's latest innings was cut short. In a dramatic middle-order collapse, MK's self-anointed captain, Zuma, axed Shivambu as MK party secretary-general this week. 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He trudges off with zero runs to his name in this short-lived innings — a proverbial golden duck on debut as SG. Shivambu was the party's unelected fifth secretary-general since its launch in 2023. The MK party treats its SGs like disposable wicketkeepers, swapping them out at the slightest fumble. In truth, the writing was on the wall before the umpire's finger went up. Duduzile had drawn the dagger first, and other MK cadres had long been dissatisfied with Shivambu's style of play. He was accused of trying to pad the team with his former EFF players and 'running the party his way' — a cardinal sin in a collective where ironically, Zuma is head coach and captain. Tensions reached a boiling point as even Shivambu's ally Mzwanele Manyi was dismissed as chief whip, and factions formed faster than a spinning ball on a cracked pitch. The once-celebrated recruit from the EFF found himself isolated on the crease, with no partners left to guard the other end. 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(What have we done?) when times grew dark, or ' Thina sizwe esimnyama ' as they vowed to overcome oppression. In those days, 'comrade' was a badge of honour, not a casual greeting. Elegy for fraud But today, our revolutionary anthems turn into elegies for a brotherhood betrayed. Shivambu's odyssey — from the young lion of Luthuli House to red-beret crusader of Winnie Madikizela Mandela House, to outcast in an outfit named for the Spear of the Nation — feels like a remix of the great Struggle songbook, but with jarring off-key notes. Do you recall the haunting refrain ' Hamba kahle, Mkhonto ' — Go well, Spear of the Nation — sung in honour of departing freedom fighters? Today it might as well be directed at Shivambu as he exits the stage, a fallen cadre carrying a sack of 'formers' on his backpack: former Youth League firebrand, former EFF deputy commander, former Red Beret founding member, former policy commissar, and now, former MK Party secretary-general. All things are former indeed. Dimmed lights, Trump style My leader, the stadium lights have dimmed on Floyd's revolutionary dreams, at least for now. Yet, hope springs eternal on the cricket pitch and in politricks. Even as he licks his open wounds on the sidelines, Shivambu might dream of a comeback in the next innings. Politics, after all, is a timeless Test match — fortunes can reverse with the swing of a single delivery. But for now, from your vantage point, my leader, you can sip your adult beverages and chuckle at the spectacle of it all. Even Julius Malema, one suspects, is grinning from the stands at his erstwhile lieutenant's fate — proof that those who abandon the Red Berets often do so at their peril. Is it cold outside the Winnie Mandela House? The enemy of your enemy has effectively bowled himself out. The once arrogant batsman has been caught out, stumped by his hubris and the guile of an older fox. The revolution's choir now sings a cautionary dirge for Shivambu. The ANC must be quietly pleased, its thorn removed by friendly fire. As the opposition implodes, you can watch the flames from Luthuli House, smiling as their factional feuds do your work for you. Till next week, my man. Send me to the Parliament winter Test matches. DM
