MEDIUM-TERM BUDGET: OPPOSITION REACTION
Jeering MPs, a snoozing Zuma and tragic SA
Finance Minister Malusi Gigaba’s first medium-term budget policy statement combined comedy and tragedy in all the wrong ways. MPs roundly panned it as ineffectual. After the last two cabinet reshuffles sent shock waves through SA, the rand’s plunge to a 10-month low of R14 against the dollar was not unexpected on Wednesday. Opposition MPs speculated that Gigaba had the ANC’s December conference in mind when delivering his speech. He took the podium 20 minutes behind schedule after EFF MPs raised points of order, saying they refused to be addressed in Parliament by a "criminal" and "Gupta stooge". Gigaba was heckled and jeered by DA MPs about his trips to Dubai, the Guptas and state capture. President Jacob Zuma relaxed and fell asleep during the speech.
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