Budget 2025: MK Party, EFF call Appropriation Bill anti-poor

CAPE TOWN - The two biggest opposition parties, the uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party and the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), said they will not vote in support of the Appropriation Bill, calling it anti-poor.

The National Assembly is currently debating the bill, which appropriates money to all government departments.

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The Appropriation Bill is the last hurdle in the contentious budget process, which has taken longer than usual due to Government of National Unity (GNU) infighting.

The MK Party said it rejects the budget that fails to bring about change for poor South Africans, while the EFF said it’s no different to previous budgets.

The official opposition, the MK Party, said the Appropriation Bill fails to address blockages in the economy like unemployment and funding key frontline services.

The party’s Sanele Mwali said the GNU continues to pursue the same policies that have also failed to address economic stagnation.

“Today, unemployment sits at 43%, with youth sitting at over 60%. Food prices have been rising with government unable to regulate effectively the food cartels in our country.”

EFF Member of Parliament (MP) Omphile Maotwe said the budget is just a copy and paste of previous administrations, which most GNU partners rejected in the past.

“We are still not sure why some in the GNU today support this budget because it is the same budget that was tabled in the past ten years, and they rejected it in each of those years.”

The party said the bill should be amended to increase the health and basic education budgets to employ more doctors and teachers.