South Africa’s cabinet has welcomed the 2022 national budget tabled by Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana in Parliament on Wednesday, saying the statement demonstrated government’s commitment to fiscal discipline in funding development programmes.
According to the Executive, the budget put some flesh to the commitments that President Cyril Ramaphosa made in his 2022 State of the Nation Address (SONA) delivered two weeks ago in Cape Town’s City Hall – a temporary venue for the National Assembly since fire gutted it in January.
“The budget demonstrates government’s commitment to fiscal discipline and consistent economic management, and its cherished objective of funding critical priorities that provide socio-economic support to vulnerable South Africans,” cabinet said in a statement on Thursday.
It praised the “far-reaching interventions” announced in the budget, which it said were geared towards creating a conducive environment for inclusive growth and sustainable development.
Godongwana unveiled a R2-trillion (about US$132-billion) budget in which he announced plans to curtail public expenditure, including containing the public sector wage bill which now accounts for 35 percent of all expenditure.
More than half of the 2022 budget – about R1.3 trillion – would go towards social education, health, social and community development.
Meanwhile, cluster ministers will be holding post-SONA media briefings to elaborate on government’s Programme of Action for the year ahead and beyond as Ramaphosa outlined it in his SONA, it said.
“These media briefings highlight government’s commitment to implement the priorities aimed at improving the lives of the people by, among other things, creating favourable conditions to create the much-needed jobs.”
NM/jn/APA