LUKANYO MNYANDA: The budget’s both inspiring and depressing
It's hard to be optimistic, knowing that unions will sabotage any attempts at reforms with no pushback from the government
Finance minister Tito Mboweni’s budget left me both inspired and depressed. The presentation was impressive. It went some way to countering the narrative, which he himself in fairness did much to promote, that he was disinterested in the job, and no longer had the patience for outdated concepts such as collective responsibility. Utterances about closing down SA Airways (SAA), in contrast to official policy, also buttressed the idea that he didn’t have the necessary discipline to thrive in government. The presentation didn’t give one the impression that the person giving it was either not interested or in a rush to get out of the administration. He left out the possibility that he might still be around after the elections in May. The budget itself was rather grim. To describe it as disappointing would imply that there were exceedingly high expectations going into it. With the economic performance having deteriorated and no discernible progress towards fixing or selling the broken sta...
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Subscribe now to unlock this article.
Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).
There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.
Cancel anytime.
Questions? Email helpdesk@businesslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00. Got a subscription voucher? Redeem it now.