South Africa's Government of National Unity (GNU) hit a significant speed bump on 19 February when Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana was advised to postpone the presentation of the National Budget until 12 March due to consultation challenges with other parties within the GNU. This highlights the intricacies of power-sharing governance structures, and the fine line political parties have to negotiate to achieve an objective.
"The outlook for the GNU is precarious. While the Public Finance Management Act (Act 1, 1999) (the PFMA) accommodates budget delays, the recurring deadlocks over fiscal policies — especially the disagreements over VAT and other tax measures — signals potential long-term challenges for the coalition," warns Dr Uduak Johnson: Academic Programme Leader for the Master of Public Administration Programme at the MANCOSA School of Public Administration adding that we may see plenty more fireworks over the next three years.
