Malema slams Godongwana, says budget impasse could have been resolved

JOHANNESBURG - The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) believes the budget deadlock in Parliament could have been resolved much earlier if Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana had taken the many objections seriously. 

Party leader Julius Malema is now calling for Godongwana to step down, describing his push to raise value-added tax (VAT) as both incompetent and arrogant. 

READ: EFF calls for Godongwana's resignation following court order suspending VAT increase

The EFF feels vindicated by the recent Western Cape High Court order, which set aside the fiscal framework and suspended the VAT hike.

Speaking at a media briefing on Monday, Malema claimed the public no longer trusts the finance minister.
  
"We emphasise, while the VAT increase was a particular trigger, the entire 2025 budget, as formulated by the Minister of Finance is fundamentally flawed. The National Treasury’s neoliberal dogma, obsession with austerity, and blind loyalty to the white capitalist establishment have no place in South Africa's current economic reality," said Malema.