GNU's Budget 3.0: a call to serve nation beyond partisan politics

SOUTH Africa's budget process reflects the nation's struggle to balance economic growth, social development, and fiscal responsibility.

- DR PAUL KARIUKI

From the first budget speech delivered by the government of national unity (GNU), the focus has been on addressing systemic inequalities, promoting economic recovery, and stabilising public finances. The initial budgets aimed to allocate resources transparently to priority sectors such as health, education, and infrastructure, while attempting to manage the nation's substantial debt burden.

The GNU has faced multiple economic challenges — ranging from global economic shocks to domestic issues like corruption, inefficient resource management and sluggish growth. These issues necessitated constant fiscal recalibration, leading to successive adjustments and, ultimately, the recent revised budget.

The revised budget reflects a pragmatic response to unforeseen economic realities, including reduced revenue collection, rising social welfare obligations and mounting debt servicing costs. It embodies the government's attempt to sustain service delivery while safeguarding fiscal stability in uncertain times.