MK party targets Ramaphosa, Godongwana in motion of no confidence over budget ‘chaos'

Mail & Guardian

21-05-2025

The uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) party has tabled a motion of no censure against Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana and a vote of no confidence in President Cyril Ramaphosa, citing failed leadership and economic mismanagement.
(Darren Stewart/Gallo Images via Getty Images)
The
The party accused
The party said in a statement on Wednesday that the minister's February budget failed to address South Africa's record-high unemployment, rising poverty and extreme inequality.
'Minister Godongwana presented yet another hollow and anti-poor budget, instead of meaningful relief, the most vulnerable were burdened through fuel levy increases and the removal of essential zero-rated VAT items.'
The party described the minister's handling of the budget as 'chaotic,' pointing to the failed budget sittings, dubbed Budget 1.0 and Budget 2.0 which they say cost taxpayers R2.4 million.
These sessions collapsed over differences between ANC and Democratic Alliance (DA) MPs, who are part of the government of national unity (GNU).
'Investor confidence and public trust were further eroded when the government made a sudden U-turn on the VAT hike,' the statement read. 'This came after businesses had already spent millions on adjustments.'
The party accused Godongwana of failing to table a credible fiscal framework or implement a rescue plan for the poor.
It also cited the auditor general's findings of more than R126 billion in fruitless and wasteful expenditure by public entities, which it says the treasury has failed to address.
'Budget 3.0 is nothing more than political theatre,' the MK party said. 'What South Africa needs is not more spin, but a complete break with the neoliberal consensus.'
The party is calling for a 'people's budget' centred on hunger, landlessness and joblessness.
Its demands include the nationalisation of mineral resources, accelerated land redistribution without compensation, the expansion of the VAT zero-rated basket, and the dismantling of economic policies it believes serve elites and multinational corporations.
The party accuses Ramaphosa of abandoning the poor and capitulating to 'foreign right-wing interests'.
The party says Ramaphosa's decision to include 'fringe' political groups in the GNU has delegitimised the administration and weakened its ability to govern effectively.
'While millions go hungry, Mr Ramaphosa has chosen to entertain fabricated narratives of white persecution pushed by fringe extremists now sitting alongside him in government,' the party said. 'This is a betrayal of his constitutional obligations.'
The vote of no confidence, although unlikely to succeed in the National Assembly given the ANC's alliances, sends a signal of growing dissent in parliament. It also underscores the difficulty Ramaphosa faces in keeping the GNU stable.
Early this month, Economic Freedom Fighters leader Julius Malema signalled the party would back a no-confidence motion if one is introduced, calling for Godongwana and treasury director-general Duncan Pieterse to immediately resign because they have 'proven themselves incapable of formulating a lawful, credible
This move comes as tensions among GNU parties begin to ease, after months of internal discord sparked by opposition to the proposed two percentage point VAT increase.
But the MK party, which has positioned itself as a radical alternative to the mainstream GNU alignment, continues to reject the current economic model and calls for an overhaul of governance priorities.
The party's national spokesperson, Nhlamulo Ndhlela, reiterated their position: 'We will not be silent while our people starve. We stand firmly for economic justice, accountability and a new path forward, one that places the people before profits.'
Ramaphosa and Godongwana have not yet formally responded to the motion.
Ramaphosa and DA leader John Steenhuisen are meeting the Trump administration in Washington in an attempt to repair South Africa's relationship with the US.
But earlier this month, ANC secretary general Fikile Mbalula said the ANC would support Godongwana through calls to have him removed from his position, arguing that the minister had not done anything wrong.
The motions are expected to be debated when parliament reconvenes later this month.