KHAYA SITHOLE: The most urgent issues will only be considered after the elections
In the 2023 medium-term budget policy statement (MTBPS) the quest to balance public finances forced finance minister Enoch Godongwana to make bold commitments about reining in government spending. Core to this commitment was the statement of intent against further bailouts for state enterprises that have contributed to national debt escalation without migrating on the path towards self-sustainability.
The social wage, which includes spending aimed at offering comprehensive social assistance across the spectrum of qualifying citizens, makes up a sizeable part of non-interest spending, but ahead of an election year tampering with it was simply untenable. ..
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