“The Minister of Finance, Malusi Gigaba, will deliver his maiden Budget Speech amid subdued economic growth and a challenging fiscal situation. It is in this context that the Minister encourages South Africans to share their views about the country’s economic conditions and other issues they would like the government to highlight in the Budget,” said the Ministry of Finance on Monday.
Minister Gigaba is inviting South Africans to share their views on the funding of free education for students in tertiary institutions. President Jacob Zuma announced free higher education for poor, working-class students on 16 December 2017.
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The President’s announcement entailed the extension of fully subsidised free higher education to youth from well over 90% of South African households and to prioritise infrastructural development at universities and Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges.
Minister Gigaba is also seeking views on how South Africa can achieve inclusive economic growth; how the country can use its resources to ensure efficiency, and how government civil society, unions and business can work together for the purpose of achieving South Africa’s economic objectives.
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Minister Gigaba, who was appointed to the Finance Portfolio on 31 March 2017 will table his maiden speech on Wednesday, 21 February in Parliament.
“The Minister looks forward to your contribution,” said the Ministry.
The public can send their budget tips on Twitter by following @TreasuryRSA and using the #BudgetTips2018 hashtag.