Although Umkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party and the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) have rejected every department budget vote in the National Council of Provinces (NCOP), Parliament has passed the 2024 Appropriation Bill.
This was an “actions speak louder than words” moment after the two parties vowed that they would give the current administration a run for their money.
The NCOP held a few sittings this week for policy debate on the Department of Transport’s Budget Vote and an induction on the select committees on Appropriations and Finance.
The Appropriation Bill was the last on the agenda in a hybrid plenary sitting on Wednesday.
The 2024 Appropriations Bill, approved by NCOP, allots R1.1 trillion for spending in the current fiscal year.
The majority of the votes that the NCOP took up were backed by the Government of National Unity (GNU) parties, despite their indifferences in other budget votes.
The bill was first passed by the National Assembly last week and was sent to the NCOP for agreement.
This is as the NCOP wrapped up its activities for the first term.
The bill provided for money to be appropriated from the National Revenue Fund for the State's requirements in this financial year.
The bill not only appropriated money for the requirements for the current financial year but also prescribed conditions for the spending of the funds withdrawn for the 2025/26 financial year before the commencement of the Appropriation Act.
The EFF’s Laetitia Arries said her party rejected the budget for the Department of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities.
“We reject the department which does not respond to the many challenges faced by women and persons living with disability in this country,” Arries said.
EFF MP Kennedy Meisie rejected the budget for the Department of Labour, saying it is the reason for the highest unemployment rate.
“This department is responsible for a decade-long trend of rising unemployment which has continued unabated, without any viable solutions to speak of,” she said.
MKP’s Mmabatho Mokoena who spoke on the presidential budget vote, rejected the vote, citing the widening gap between the rich and poor.
Meanwhile, the ANC said this will not derail the purpose of the GNU.
IOL Politics