MK Party moves motion to censure Godongwana for his mishandling of the budget process

CAPE TOWN - The Umkhonto Wesizwe (MK) Party moved a motion to censure Minister of Finance Enoch Godongwana for what it says is his mishandling of the budget process.

The party said that it has written to National Assembly Speaker Thoko Didiza, saying it has noted the unprecedented postponement of the tabling of the budget, describing it as an “abysmal delay”.

READ: MK Party distances itself from Parliament's adoption of 2025 budget framework

The party’s motion comes less than a week before Godongwana is meant to table the third budget at the Cape Town International Convention on Wednesday, after months of disagreement over the now-abandoned VAT increase.

The MK Party initially moved a motion of no confidence against Godongwana, but this was bound to fail because such a motion can only be moved against the president and not an individual minister.

The party submitted a motion to censure Godongwana, saying the budget delay not only disrupted the legislative calendar but also created uncertainty within the economy.

A motion of censure is a formal statement of disapproval against a member and is also a way to publicly reprimand a public representative.

Party Spokesperson Nhlamulo Ndhlela said, "We’ve written to the speaker of the house as Mkhonto Wesizwe and we have noticed and noted the unprecedented postponement of the tabling of the national budget."

Ndhlela said that the motion to censure the minister serves not only as a call for accountability, but also to protect democratic and constitutional processes.