Political parties bemoan Parliament’s over R500 million budget shortfall
The official opposition, the uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party, has suggested money to be used on a new commission of inquiry into the police should instead be diverted to Parliament.
The National Assembly sat for the tabling of the national budget in Parliament on 19 February 2025. The Budget Speech was postponed at the eleventh hour. Picture: Parliament
CAPE TOWN - Political parties have bemoaned a budget shortfall of more than R500 million for Parliament, saying it will seriously hamper its work of being a voice for the people and an effective oversight body for the executive.
The official opposition, the uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party, has suggested that money to be used on a new commission of inquiry into the police should instead be diverted to Parliament.
Introspecting on its own performance during debate on the R3.6 billion budget vote of Parliament, parties across the divide said that public confidence in the legislature is at an all-time low. Parliament is failing to match the pace in responding to societal developments.
The MK Party’s Des van Rooyen said it’s scandalous that Parliament has to plead poverty and be reliant on an executive it oversees for its budget.
The African Transformation Movement (ATM)’s Vuyo Zungula agreed.
With parliamentary committees each allocated a budget of R3 million for the year, the Freedom Front (FF) Plus’s chief whip, Heloise Denner, said public participation is being treated as a rubber stamp and a box-ticking exercise.
“The voice on whose behalf we do this work is lost and ignored for the sake of political point scoring.”
Build On South Africa (BOSA)’s Nobuntu Hlazo-Webster said Parliament appeared hesitant to rise to the occasion, and instead, the citizenry is leading from the streets.
“This failure is clearest in Parliament’s unwillingness to launch a proper inquiry into Minister Nobuhle Nkabane’s involvement in the SETA [Sector Education and Training Authority] board scandal.”
ActionSA’s Kgosi Letlape said his party would not support an underfunded budget because Parliament is setting itself up for failure.
RISE Mzansi’s Makashule Gana said Parliament had to find its backbone in this administration, with public perception growing that it’s been too soft on the executive and officials who fail to deliver.