Neither Ramaphosa nor Mashatile will be present when Godongwana tables budget speech
Ramaphosa is in the United States to meet with President Donald Trump, while Mashatile is in France in an attempt to woo investors.
Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana briefs the media following the postponement of his budget speech. Picture: Parliament
CAPE TOWN - In a budget day rarity, neither the president nor his deputy will be in Parliament on Wednesday when the finance minister presents a new expenditure framework to the house.
While President Cyril Ramaphosa is on a charm offensive to the United States (US) to mend relations with the world’s superpower, Deputy President Paul Mashatile will be wooing investors in France.
In the interim, Ramaphosa has put Minerals Resources Minister, Gwede Mantashe, in charge of the country as the Government of National Unity (GNU) looks to put its best foot forward by tabling a national budget they can all agree upon.
While at home, Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana will be grabbing local headlines once he’s tabled a new budget. On the international stage, Ramaphosa will be stepping out for a meeting with US President Donald Trump.
He will be looking to repair not only diplomatic tensions following months of misinformation about the South African political landscape, but also to strike some trade deals.
READ: Ramaphosa ready for his meeting with Trump to reset US-SA relations
Meanwhile, in Europe, Mashatile will meet with French President Emmanuel Macron to reinforce bilateral relations and explore new areas of cooperation, specifically in trade and investment.
His visit follows that of International Relations Minister, Ronald Lamola, who held a political dialogue last week, aimed at discussing recent international developments.
Mashatile will this week participate in the SA-France Investment Conference, where South Africa aims to intensify cooperation in the fields of infrastructure development, science, technology and innovation.
He’s accompanied by five ministers and four deputy ministers.
France is South Africa’s 14th largest investor across sectors such as financial services, renewable energy, rail, chemicals and oil and gas.
With both presidential delegations comprising several ministers and deputy ministers, it will mean the front rows of the National Assembly could look unusually empty for a budget day.
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