A fierce political row has erupted in Parliament after Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) MP Carl Niehaus accused Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana of betraying national security and undermining President Cyril Ramaphosa’s pledge to increase Defence spending to 1.5% of South Africa’s GDP. Niehaus, known for his fiery rhetoric and sharp critique of the ruling ANC, submitted a written parliamentary question on 13 June 2025, seeking clarity on whether National Treasury was committed to implementing the President’s pronouncement made during Armed Forces…

The Minister of Finance, Enoch Godongwana, has notified his Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA) counterpart, Minister Velenkosini Hlabisa, that his department intends to withhold the July 2025 equitable share allocation from 39 municipalities across the country for violating constitutional provisions in managing their finances. In the letter dated 30 June 2025, obtained by the African Times, Godongwana told Hlabisa that these municipalities owe water boards, have failed to pay pension funds and medical aid schemes for employees, and have…

On 21 May 2025, South Africa’s Minister of Finance, Enoch Godongwana, announced a 4-cent fuel levy increase as part of the revised 2025/26 Budget, breaking a three-year freeze on such levies. Set to take effect on 4 June 2025, this translates to a 16-cent-per-litre hike on petrol, pushing prices to between R3.85 and R4.01 per litre, and a 15-cent-per-litre hike on diesel, bringing prices to between R3.70 and R3.85 per litre.  The government claims this will generate R4 billion in…

The EFF has followed up on its previous threat to challenge the fuel levy increase in court by filing papers with the Western Cape High Court. In the urgent papers, the red party is challenging the announcement by the Minister of Finance, Enock Godongwana, on May 21, that the country’s fuel levy would be increased next week (4 June 2025) to make up for the revenue that would have been raised through the now scrapped VAT increase. The party previously…

The Minister of Finance, Enoch Godongwana has admitted that they have learnt their hard lessons out of the 2025-2026 budget impasse and in future, budget processes would be started around September every year so that by February the following year, all hurdles have been cleared. Godongwana made this admission while briefing the media today, April 30, in Pretoria. It is where he announced that the new and refined budget without VAT increase would be tabled on May 21, 2025. He…

The leader of ActionSA, Herman Mashaba, took another jab at the DA today, saying the scrapping of the VAT increase was achieved by parties outside the government of national unity (GNU), not by any court action. Mashaba was speaking in Sandton on Thursday, April 24, where parties including the ANC, Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP), BOSA and others briefed the media following the government’s decision to scrap the increase. This came after DA Federal Chairperson Helen Zille and other party members…

The recent decision by the Minister of Finance, Comrade Enoch Godongwana, to retract the proposed VAT increase has triggered a whirlwind of commentary—from within the African National Congress (ANC) itself, and predictably, from the Democratic Alliance (DA), the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), and other reactionary actors now fishing in judicial waters. While we await the judgment of the courts, it is essential to pause and interrogate not only the legal mechanics at play, but also the political climate that has…

The contentious budget for the 2025-2026 period has been passed with 194 votes against 182 while its legality is still in question. After it was passed ANC MPs were heard shouting “Abahambe” (they must leave), meaning the DA should leave the government of national unity (GNU) after opposing VAT increase. The DA led the opposition to the budget together with the MK Party, the EFF, FF+, ATM and the ACDP. Among the parties that voted yes to the budget are…

Despite opposition from many quarters, including most opposition parties within the government of National Unity (GNU), the Minister of Finance, Enoch Godongwana has announced a value-added tax (VAT) increase of 0.5 percentage point.  Godongwana announced the increase a short while ago while delivering the 2025-2026 budget in Cape Town today, March 12. He said there are several persistent spending pressures in health, education, transport and security. According to the South African finance minister, these have to do with the government…

In an unprecedented move since the dawn of democracy in 1994, the South African government has cancelled Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana’s 2024/2025 budget speech due to policy disputes within President Cyril Ramaphosa’s Government of National Unity (GNU). The governing African National Congress (ANC) and its grand coalition main partner, the Democratic Alliance (DA), could not agree on the proposed 2% increase in the Value-Added Tax (VAT) from the current 15% to 17%.  The postponement, announced during a Parliamentary sitting in…