ANC Won’t Compromise on Legislation for GNU Partners to Support Godongwana Budget

The party has been negotiating with other political organisations, hoping to persuade them to vote for the adoption of Godongwana’s budget in Parliament.

ANC won’t compromise on legislation for GNU partners to support Godongwana budget

Finance Minister Enoch Godongwan tabled his budget policy statement on the 12 March 2025. Picture: Phando Jikelo/Parliament

JOHANNESBURG - The African National Congress (ANC) said it’s not willing to compromise on key legislation in order to convince Government of National Unity (GNU) partners to support Minister of Finance Enoch Godongwana’s proposed budget.  

The party has been negotiating with other political parties, hoping to persuade them to vote for the adoption of Godongwana’s budget in Parliament.  

The proposed budget has been rejected by several parties, mainly due to the proposed increase in value-added tax (VAT).  

This will be a key discussion at the ANC national executive committee (NEC) meeting sitting at the Birchwood Hotel in Boksburg.  

Earlier this week, Godongwana informed Parliament that the Democratic Alliance (DA) had sent a letter to the president, agreeing to accept a VAT increase on the condition the Expropriation Act is scrapped.  

This legislation, signed into law in January, has caused divisions within the GNU, with some parties, including the DA, opposing it.  

However, ANC spokesperson Mahlengi Bhengu-Motsiri has made it clear that while the ANC is working to convince GNU partners to support the budget, the Expropriation Act remains a no-go zone.  

“The ANC will not compromise on that. In fact, it is contained in the statement of intent that set up the GNU that transformation policies and measures to redress imbalances and inequality from the past will not be affected by this cooperation by the parties in the Government of National Unity.”  

She said with South Africa being an unequal society, it would be counterproductive to scrap progressive legislation.