This year’s budget process was a “learning phase for everybody”, finance minister Enoch Godongwana told attendees at the National Treasury’s 2026 Medium-Term Expenditure Framework Fiscal Policy Workshop on Friday.
Godongwana was responding to a question from DA finance spokesperson Mark Burke, who also serves on the standing committee on appropriations. Burke asked what steps the Treasury was taking to incorporate the reality of multiparty coalitions into its budgeting process.
“If people in parliament say it was not a learning phase, they [are] making a fundamental mistake. It was a learning phase for [the] Treasury and [the] government and a learning phase for MPs,” Godongwana said.
He explained that in the past the budget was easily passed because the ruling party held a clear majority in parliament.
Without a majority, “there should be interaction with everybody in parliament”, he said.
“But, to be honest, even the MPs were not ready for the task.
“The law says, once the minister tables the budget … then the MPs must be able to examine that budget and question it and amend it, but not to reject it.”
He reiterated the budget process, as defined in law, allowed for acceptance or amendment — but not outright rejection.
“Our colleagues in parliament have been faced with this responsibility of having to amend this budget”, however, they ended up rejecting it instead of amending, Godongwana said, “which is not what the law says they must do”.
“Even the parliamentary budget office is not up to the task,” he said, adding that the budget office used to only criticise “here and there ... but in order for it to be up to the [new] task, it must help parliament to amend”. This means they would need a different skill set, he said.
The national budget faced an unprecedented year. The initial draft set to be tabled in February, which included a controversial VAT hike, was scrapped amid coalition pushback, only for its revised successor to be rejected again in March.
For businesses and investors, the prolonged political wrangling has deepened uncertainty at a time when fiscal clarity and stable policymaking are critical to restoring confidence.
Godongwana said the medium-term budget policy statement would take place on November 12.
Business Day has approached parliament for comment.
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