Addressing Parliament, EFF leader Julius Malema took issue with the Budget speech not being delivered as expected. Picture: X
EFF leader Julius Malema said on Wednesday that there is “no government”.
Malema was speaking in Parliament as parties waited for Minister of Finance Enoch Godongwana to arrive to deliver his much-anticipated 2025 Budget Speech.
The speech was set to be delivered at 2pm however it was later announced that the speech was postponed. It is now expected to be delivered sometime in March.
It has been reported that the postponement is due to parties that form part of the Government of National Unity raising issues with the speech including a VAT hike.
Before the postponement was announced, Malema addressed Parliament about the delay, saying it was “unprecedented.”
Addressing the Speaker, he said: “We are saying to you, you are denying this body an opportunity to be receiving a Budget, debate it, accept it or reject it. You are now subjecting the Budget of South Africa to party politics when the Budget is supposed to be above party politics. Let the Budget be presented here and let Parliament decide.”
Malema said the Speaker should not say that the parties in the executive are not agreeing.
“There are no parties in the executive, there is only the executive. You are denying the people of South Africa the opportunity to see what is happening in this country. There is no government; it has collapsed, and it has no capacity to present a Budget.”