Note to editors: the following speech was delivered today by BOSA Deputy Leader, Nobuntu Hlazo-Webster MP, in Parliament’s debate on the Appropriations Bill.
Honourable Speaker,
This debate on the Appropriation Bill ultimately comes down to a simple question: are we making life easier for the people of South Africa?
Too often budget debates become discussions about line items, percentages and allocations. But for citizens, the real measure of this budget is whether it lowers the cost of living, creates opportunity and allows their money to go further.
In that regard, government deserves recognition for one important intervention. The decision to provide fuel levy relief was not a small administrative adjustment. It was a meaningful act of protection for South Africans already struggling under the weight of rising costs.
Had this intervention not been made, fuel price increases would have filtered through the entire economy, driving up transport costs, food prices and inflation at a time when households are already under severe pressure.
But affordability cannot be addressed through isolated interventions alone. It requires a broader commitment to reducing the costs that citizens and businesses face every day.
The Standing Committee on Appropriations report repeatedly highlights the challenge of state capability. This has real consequences for ordinary people.
Every time a citizen must take multiple taxis to access a government service, wait months for an application to be processed, or navigate dysfunctional systems to receive support they are entitled to, they are paying what economists call frictional costs.
These costs are invisible in budget tables, but they are very real in the lives of citizens. A capable state reduces those costs.
Technology, modernisation and efficient administration should not be viewed as luxuries.
They are essential tools for making government more accessible, more affordable and more responsive.
In a world where facial recognition technology can verify a banking customer within seconds, citizens should not be forced to spend time and money travelling repeatedly to government offices simply to prove who they are. The same principle applies to economic growth.
South Africa cannot tax its way to prosperity. We must grow our economy. That requires investment certainty, modern infrastructure and a policy environment that allows businesses to compete and create jobs.
The report’s emphasis on infrastructure investment and economic reform is therefore welcome. But implementation matters. Delayed decisions and policy uncertainty carry costs of their own, particularly in fast-moving sectors where global competitors are not waiting for South Africa to catch up.
We must also recognise that safety is an economic issue. When communities are unsafe and businesses face constant security risks, citizens pay another hidden tax. Investment declines, opportunities disappear and the cost of doing business rises for everyone.
We support a vision of government that focuses relentlessly on reducing these burdens.
A government that lowers costs rather than increases them.
A government that removes obstacles rather than creates them.
A government that understands that every rand spent should ultimately make life easier, safer and more affordable for the people it serves.
That is the standard against which this budget should be judged.
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