Political theatrics inflicting more pain on poor

SOUTH Africans are being held hostage in a game of political point-scoring. Parliament barely adopted the Fiscal Framework and revenue Bills, thanks to the shenanigans of a few self-serving parties.

- DR RENEVA FOUBIE

SOUTH Africans are being held hostage in a game of political point-scoring.

Parliament barely adopted the Fiscal Framework and revenue proposals due to the shenanigans of a few self-serving parties.

Those defeated in Parliament are threatening court action, seeking to plunge our country into a fiscal crisis.

It would bode them well to appreciate | that behind the political manoeuvring and budget numbers are real people whose lives hang in the balance while they indulge in pettiness.

For most South Africans, these political games have substantive negative consequences in terms of delayed services, infrastructure development, and social support.

The tensions around the Budget highlight structural and ideological crises within South Africa's political landscape. As South Africa grapples with growing inequality, high unemployment, and persistent poverty, the failure of coalition politics to produce coherent, impactful governance represents more than just political dysfunction - it represents a betrayal of the promise of the post-2024 government to serve the interests of the people of this country better.

When political parties use essential fiscal processes for point-scoring, it is invariably the most vulnerable that suffer the consequences of delayed decision-making and policy implementation.

Instead of prioritising the people, political leaders are using the Budget process as leverage in their ongoing disputes. The ANC, DA, MKP, and EFF remain gridlocked, unable to reach an agreement on a budget that should serve all South Africans.

Their failure to secure a consensus on the Budget indicates that governance is no longer about serving the people. While the government proceeded to push through the Budget, the ANC continued to try to appease Western powers and the DA rather than expelling them from the so-called Government of National Unity (GNU).