A decent budget but let's see...

After last year's torrid budget process in which the ANC was confronted with the reality of being in a national coalition government and unable to bulldoze its proposals through parliament as it had done for nearly three decades, Enoch Godongwana emerged unscathed this year.

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In 2025, he had to stand on the podium three times and managed to table the budget in May, more than two months after his first attempt, being forced to scrap an unpopular VAT increase that had triggered a revolt led by the Democratic Alliance.

This time around, the stars seem to align for Godongwana — debt is stabilising after nearly 20 years, although at 78.9% of GDP it's too high. Economic growth is gathering pace after wallowing around 1% for most of the past decade.