Latest news with #PresidencyBudgetVote
The Citizen
17-07-2025
- Business
- The Citizen
Ramaphosa defends budget as critical to government oversight
President Ramaphosa called the Presidency Budget Vote vital for coordination, oversight, and crisis response, despite fierce opposition criticism. President Cyril Ramaphosa defended the Presidency Budget Vote in parliament, calling it a vital tool for government coordination and oversight amid fierce criticism from opposition parties during the debate. He was replying to the debate on Budget 1 during a National Assembly hybrid plenary sitting on Thursday afternoon. Ramaphosa delivered his reply on Thursday following a daylong debate on Wednesday, which came after he tabled the Presidency Budget Vote to the National Assembly. Ramaphosa defends the Presidency Budget He described the budget as exceptional, highlighting its focus on coordination, strategic direction, and oversight across all government departments. The Presidency ensures alignment with national priorities and implements urgent intervention during crises, such as load shedding and Covid-19 challenges. 'A vote in support of this budget is about strengthening the nerve centre of government itself,' Ramaphosa said. ALSO READ: 'Cyril must fall': Organisations march against Ramaphosa to Union Buildings on Mandela Day The president said that one body disagrees that the challenges South Africa faces are immense and that the country is not as far along the road as expected. 'As we journey to the National Dialogue where we will face the hard truths and forge a common brighter future, let us take courage from the words of this young patriot who said yesterday that this budget should be a turning point,' Ramaphosa said. During Wednesday's debate, MK party deputy president and member of parliament John Hlophe launched a scathing attack on Ramaphosa in his budget vote speech, calling him 'a president broken beyond repair' and accusing him of hypocrisy, secrecy, and a failure to tackle corruption. Hlophe called president 'broken beyond repair' Hlophe criticised the government for abandoning ordinary South Africans struggling with poverty and the rising cost of living. He accused Ramaphosa of shielding political allies instead of holding them accountable. He also lambasted parliament, saying it had become 'a poodle sitting at your feet begging for scraps of patronage'. The president responded, saying that South Africa faces many challenges, but those shouldn't overshadow the progress made over the past 31 years. Ramaphosa stated that South Africa's democracy is still relatively young. ALSO READ: Seta scandal: Nkabane claims Ramaphosa has yet to act against her, ahead of parliament grilling 'Those who decry the allegedly scant progress we have made wish us to discount the millions of homes electrified, the clean water in communities where there was once none, the public housing built for the indigent, and the free basic services provided to society's most vulnerable,' he said. Dr Corné Mulder of the Freedom Front Plus said on Wednesday that the party is committed to finding solutions for all South Africans, including the Afrikaner and other minority groups. He insisted that the time is now to urgently address South Africa's economic strategy and policies to ensure a successful future for all. Freedom Front Plus proposals Ramaphosa said the government will engage critically with the Freedom Front Plus on its proposals. He discussed the historical context of the Carnegie Report and its influence on the development of apartheid. The president highlighted the disparities in resources devoted to white and black people. 'Honourable Mulder, the huge racial disparities we see in access to wealth and opportunities in South Africa were the consequence of the aid provided by the apartheid state to white people,' Ramaphosa said. ALSO READ: 'Ramaphosa will go down in history as one of the most useless presidents' – analyst 'This is an important discussion, and we welcome the Freedom Front's willingness to engage in it.' The president emphasised the importance of creating a bright future for all South Africans, regardless of race. On the same day, uMkhonto weSizwe MP Siyabonga Gama condemned the presidency budget as not only economically indefensible but also legally and institutionally corrosive. Budget is 'economically indefensible' – MK's Gama 'What we are debating here today is not just a budget. It is a financial architecture of a parallel state. A budget that funds insulation, protects inefficiency and advances elite consolidation under the guise of reform,' he said. Gama said the party was watching the erosion of constitutional accountability. The president said Gama delivered a somewhat 'misguided' view of the collaboration between government and business. ALSO READ: Ramaphosa says punitive action against Mchunu would set dangerous precedent He acknowledged the private sector's role in job creation and the need to create an environment that enables new businesses to thrive. 'While the government's role is, in part, to create an enabling environment for job creation and new businesses to thrive, the private sector is a critical driver of job creation,' Ramaphosa said. EFF member of parliament Nontando Nolutshungu said on Wednesday that the party rejected the budget because it is 'rotten from the head', and she further criticised the process of inquiry, calling it a waste of money and time. Criticism of commissions of inquiry The president responded and said the presidency has the power to establish commissions of inquiry into matters of public concern, as demonstrated by the revitalisation of the South African Revenue Service (Sars) and the recovery of seized assets. 'I said yesterday, and I will repeat again today, as a country committed to the rule of law, to procedural fairness and to transparency, we will ensure that the allegations made around corruption in the upper echelons of the South African Police Service will be fully ventilated in the commission of inquiry process,' he said. Watch the Presidency reply here:
IOL News
17-07-2025
- Politics
- IOL News
Ramaphosa says he wants the GNU to work in order to fix SA's challenges, despite internal disputes
President Cyril Ramaphosa has expressed his commitment to make the GNU work to address the country's pressing challenges. Image: Supplied/Presidency President Cyril Ramaphosa has expressed his commitment to make the Government of National Unity (GNU) work, despite the internal disputes it continues to face, to address the pressing challenges facing the country. Ramaphosa made the remarks on Thursday afternoon, in a parliamentary debate on the budget vote of the Presidency, which he tabled on Wednesday. 'The debate on the Presidency Budget Vote has been spirited, at times provocative, but above all, a credit to our democratic order. It is just over a year since the people of South Africa peacefully participated in elections that brought all of us to this Parliament to represent them.' Ramaphosa said it is through debates that the voters who elected them to Parliament are able to measure whether they are up to the tasks they had given them. 'They can measure whether we represent and articulate their aspirations and assess whether we are undertaking interventions that will improve their lives or not.' 'Even as these debates are robust and at times insulting, they are a key marker of the richness and endurance of our democracy,' Ramaphosa said. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. 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Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ This comes after MK Party deputy president and MP John Hlophe launched a scathing attack on Ramaphosa in Parliament on Wednesday, calling him a 'president broken beyond repair' and accusing him of hypocrisy over the Phala Phala scandal. Hlophe criticised Ramaphosa's anti-corruption stance, mentioning the theft of undeclared foreign currency from a couch on the president's Phala Phala farm. 'You hide dollars like a hustler stashing stolen goods under a mattress,' Hlophe said, speaking directly to Ramaphosa across the chamber. However, the MK Party rejected the budget outright. 'Today, we stand here not to decorate this chamber with empty words, but to deliver a clear message of defiance and truth,' said Hlophe. 'We stand in absolute rejection of the vote on the Presidency and the National Assembly budget. This is because we refuse to fund lies, hypocrisy, and a failed dream. Ramaphosa, however, acknowledged that addressing the country's pressing challenges would require more efforts. He expressed his commitment to making the GNU work to address the challenges facing the country. South Africa is facing a high unemployment rate, poor service delivery, water shortage, constant power outages, rampant crime and corruption, and deteriorating infrastructure, among others. The GNU recently celebrated its one-year anniversary. This is despite the internal tensions and disagreements the GNU has endured over the last year. 'It has been just over a year since the establishment of the second Government of National Unity in our country's democratic history.' Ramaphosa admitted that the GNU still faced internal disputes. 'The GNU, made up of 10 political parties with different histories and experiences, has continued to hold even as it has weathered many storms. 'There have indeed been disagreements and disputes among the GNU partners. And yet, despite our differences, as GNU partners, we have chosen to work for the common good.' The GNU, which was formed after the African National Congress (ANC) failed to secure a majority in the May 2024 general elections - for the first time since the dawn of democracy in 1994. The coalition government at the national level, saw the ANC joining forces with its former political rivals, including the Democratic Alliance (DA) and Freedom Front Plus. The GNU, which recently marked its first anniversary, has faced turbulence. Coalition partners, especially the ANC and DA, have frequently clashed over policy and legislation. The DA has taken the Expropriation Without Compensation Act and the Employment Equity Amendment Act to court, opposing ANC-led initiatives. In April, the party successfully challenged the passing of a fiscal framework in Parliament, which had been pushed through with support from non-GNU parties such as ActionSA and Build One South Africa. The DA, the second-largest member of the GNU, has also failed in efforts to block the Basic Education Laws Amendment Act and the National Health Insurance Act. Despite the disputes Ramaphosa added, 'It is as a Government of National Unity that we will continue in our mission to drive rapid, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, to create a more just society by tackling poverty and the high cost of living, building state capacity, strengthening law enforcement agencies, and deepening social cohesion and nation-building.' Ramaphosa said there people, including in those Parliament, who will assert that democracy does not put food on the table, that the constitution cannot be worn, driven or lived in. 'Yet they lose sight of a fundamental reality; that in the context of democratic backsliding across the world, South Africa stands tall as a country that upholds, protects and advances the rights of its citizens.' Ramaphosa said so, referring to the remarks made by Hlophe on Wednesday, saying that he gave a laundry list of everything that is wrong in the country. 'We are alive to the many challenges we face. At the same time, we should not lose sight of the fact that this democracy, only 31 years old, has made great progress in improving the quality of life of its citizens. ' 'Some countries in the world have democracies dating back hundreds, even thousands of years. Ramaphosa argued that the country's democracy, by comparison, is 'still very young.' 'Those who decry the allegedly scant progress we have made wish us to discount the millions of homes electrified, the clean water in communities where there was once none, the public housing built for the indigent, and the free basic services provided to society's most vulnerable.' 'They wish us to discount the more than 600,000 learners who passed their matric exams last year, the highest recorded pass rate in our country's democratic history. Ramaphosa added, 'They wish us to not consider the more than 1.2 million young South Africans who are being supported to further their studies by the National Student Financial Aid Scheme.' IOL Politics
IOL News
16-07-2025
- Business
- IOL News
What Ramaphosa's Presidency budget will focus on
President Ramaphosa will outline the 7th administration's strategic priorities in Parliament, with a focus on infrastructure, economic transformation and ethical leadership. President Cyril Ramaphosa is expected to table the Presidency Budget Vote for the 2025 and 2026 financial year on Wednesday afternoon, at the National Assembly in Parliament, Cape Town. According to the Presidency, the Budget Vote will focus on the 7th administration's three strategic priorities, which includes promoting inclusive growth, job creation, poverty reduction, and building a capable, ethical, and developmental state. 'These priorities are embodied by The Presidency's flagship programmes Operation Vulindlela, Presidential District Development Model and the Presidential Infrastructure Coordinating Commission, among transformative initiatives to inculcate a nation that works for all,' Presidency spokesperson Vincent Mangwenya said in a statement on Tuesday.
