Budget disagreement won’t spell the end of GNU – ANC

The ANC says it is confident the controversial budget tabled earlier this month will be passed and not lead to the collapse of the government of national unity (GNU).

The budget will go before Parliament next week for a vote, with the ANC not having enough representatives to pass it alone.

Its biggest GNU partner, the DA, has raised its concerns about the budget, including the proposed rise in value-added tax (VAT), and plans to reject it.

ANC won’t collapse GNU

Speaking outside the ANC’s national executive committee (NEC) meeting at the Birchwood Conference Centre in Gauteng on Saturday, spokesperson Mahlengi Bhengu-Motsiri said the stalemate between the two largest parties would not collapse the coalition.

“It doesn’t spell the end of the relationship. We are not in this relationship because we want to, but because it is in the nation’s interest. We are not pronouncing on dissolving the GNU, that resolution will not come from us,” Bhengu-Motsiri said.

She said negotiations and discussions were underway and the party was “confident the budget will be passed”.

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How much is needed to pass the budget?

Of the 400 seats in parliament, the ANC holds 159, so must find another 42 votes in order to pass the budget.

The DA holds 87 seats, and the IFP 17.

While it was initially expected that the IFP would reject the VAT hike, it recently said it would accept it as a “temporary measure” until more suitable income streams become available.

Outside the coalition, the MK party holds 58 seats and the EFF 39.

Outside these top five parties, the remaining 13 parties in the National Assembly hold only 39 seats.

ANC looking outside the GNU

Bhengu-Motsiri said the ANC may seek support from outside the GNU, which it believed did not betray the coalition.

“Consensus is normal in a democracy. The GNU agreement does not say we cannot speak to other parties when we have shared views. This is a democratic process. Parliament has many parties.”

Additional reporting by Jarryd Westerdale

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