Parties’ expectations from the budget speech

By Yamkela Xhaso
11 February

South African political parties including the ruling party have expressed their expectations from the budget speech which will be delivered today in Parliament by finance minister Trevor Manuel

The African Christian Democratic Party says it expects the budget to be discreet and stimulatory at the same time.

Cheryllyn Dudley says it is obvious that the budget is presented under difficult conditions both local and internationally.

Dudley says as the ACDP they expect Manuel to balance the budget as the global economic crisis is looming, domestic recession and populist pressure from the left with the budget based on strict Fiscal discipline that has been a backbone of his Macroeconomic Policy

Dudley added that Manuel must spend on infrastructural programmes, public works programme, increase expenditure on social welfare.

“Some assistance in perhaps ailing companies in order to not only create jobs but in order to retain jobs more in the area of civil service and public works”

Enhancing the quality of education improving healthcare, fighting crime, poverty, delivering houses, water, electricity and sanitation and unemployment.

Meanwhile the Freedom Front Plus leader Doctor Pieter Mulder says, they think Minister Manuel is in a very difficult position as on the one side the ANC expects him to have an election budget meaning more money on child support grant.

Mulder says Manuel must balance the two from one side to the other side. On one side “it’s important that he must spend money on infrastructure to create jobs and get us out of this”

Mulder added that there would be a “shortage of money at the end of the day” and it must be borrowed. He says there is also too much money going to grant it is scary that “we” cannot keep it up.

The African Nation Congress spokesperson Jessie Duarte says that as the ANC, they hope the budget speech will concern priorities set out in the Midterm review in November and importantly concentrate on service delivery.

“We are interested to see a consolidation around education, around health care services” as well as rural development and agricultural reformed perspective that are required to boost the country’s economy.

The Democratic Alliance’s Cobus Maree says they know that Manuel will get pressure from his party but they believe the world economic downturn and the local economy will direct the minister in what he could do with the budget.

Maree says however there is a couple of things Minister Manuel should look at like the “vulnerable, the disable and the children’s grants because “that is important for the economy to look from the demand side of it as well”