Omphile Maotwe
The budget postponement has laid bare the deep dysfunction within South Africa’s Government of National Unity (GNU) and the inability of coalition partners to prioritise the needs of the people over their political agendas.
The failure to reach an agreement before the parliamentary sitting is not just an embarrassment; it is a betrayal of the millions of South Africans struggling to make ends meet.
As the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), we believe that this fiasco underscores the urgent need for bold, transformative policies like a wealth tax, while also exposing the cost implications of a government that is too divided to govern effectively.
The GNU was supposedly meant to represent a new era of cooperation and unity, however, as the EFF we have said upon inception that nothing good can stem from a coalition between a liberation movement and its former oppressors.
This union has quickly become a symbol of dysfunction as coalition partners, including the African National Congress (ANC), the Democratic Alliance (DA), and others, failed to reach a consensus on critical budgetary issues before the parliamentary sitting on 19 February 2025.
This failure is not just a political misstep but rather a dereliction of duties of the executive.
The cost implications of a parliamentary sitting that fails to serve the people of this country are immense. Every day of delay means less funding for education, healthcare, and infrastructure. Every day of infighting means more suffering for ordinary South Africans.
The question we must ask is: Will this GNU be able to cooperate in the future for the benefit of South Africans, or will the seventh administration continue to fight amongst themselves while our people suffer?
The signs are not encouraging. The same parties that promised to work together for the good of the nation are now locked in petty squabbles, each prioritising their interests over the needs of the people. This is not governance. It is a circus.
But let’s not lose sight of the bigger picture. South Africa is a beautiful nation, rich in resources, culture, and potential. It’s so nice here that even those who threatened to leave before 1994 never actually did. A few left, but they came back. Why? Because South Africa is where privilege and opportunity coexist, especially for the wealthy white beneficiaries of apartheid.
The recent noise about white Afrikaans-speaking South Africans fleeing to the United States, spurred by Donald Trump’s misguided and misinformed overreach, is nothing but a distraction.
The truth is those who are privileged here have no intention of leaving and that is why they quickly clarified that they have no inclinations of relocating to the US. They know very well that the benefits that they enjoy in this country are unavailable elsewhere.
There is therefore nothing stopping us from calling their bluff because we know very well that they will not leave. They failed to leave during the transition to democracy and they are certainly going nowhere now because their white privilege was protected by the ANC government and it remains in safe hands with the current GNU.
But if they are to stay, they must begin to contribute meaningfully and proportionately towards the running of this country. This is why we are advocating for a wealth tax on them as the Economic Freedom Fighters.
If Ramaphosa was serious when he said we cannot be bullied, now is an opportune moment to prove it. He needs to take bold steps to redistribute wealth and bridge the gap between the rich and the poor. And the Minister of Finance must have a backbone and implement this strategy swiftly.
If we are to be frank, no one is born rich without the exploitation of others. Wealth in this country has been accumulated through centuries of oppression and inequality meted out by a privileged minority to the majority of our people.
It’s time to correct that through the implementation of a wealth tax. This should not just be reduced to a policy but we need to understand that it is a moral imperative. It will ensure that everyone works for their wealth and that we all have an equal opportunity to prosper.
The wealthy are not going anywhere. They’ve said it themselves. Now is the time to use their ill-gotten wealth to fund education, healthcare, and infrastructure. In doing that we can build a South Africa that is equally enjoyable for all its people and not just a select few.
The budget fiasco should serve as a wake-up call. We cannot afford to delay the tough decisions any longer. The people of South Africa deserve better. They deserve a government that is unafraid to challenge the status quo and implement policies that will truly transform our society.
The failure of the GNU to reach an agreement before the parliamentary sitting is a stark reminder of the cost of political infighting. Every day of delay means less funding for critical services.
Every day of indecision means more suffering for ordinary South Africans. The coalition partners must ask themselves the pertinent question of who are they here to serve. Is it the people of South Africa or is it purely their respective constituencies?
The seventh administration has a choice to make. It can continue to fight amongst itself, or it can come together to implement policies that benefit all South Africans.
As the EFF we want wealth tax as a policy because such a policy is a bold, transformative measure that can help bridge the gap between the rich and the poor. It is a policy that can fund the services that ordinary South Africans so desperately need.
The wealthy are here to stay and the EFF wants to make sure that they pay their fair share. This is the ultimate form of justice and it is up to the GNU to put the people of South Africa first and implement this policy.
* Omphile Maotwe is a Member of Parliament and the Treasurer General of the Economic Freedom Fighters.
** The views expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of IOL or Independent Media.