The ANC has approached Build One South Africa (BOSA) for support in securing backing for the 2025/26 national budget, but BOSA has set conditions for its endorsement.
Image: Itumeleng English / Independent Newspapers
The African National Congress (ANC) was knocking on the doors of political parties trying to secure support for the 2025/26 Budget vote.
This time, it has approached the Build One South Africa (BOSA), which confirmed the request for a meeting but made its conditions clear.
“As Parliament prepares to consider the 2025/26 national budget next week, Build One South Africa (BOSA) confirms that we have been approached by the African National Congress (ANC) requesting a meeting on the matter,” BOSA said in a media statement.
This comes as the ANC engages in negotiations with several parties, including those outside the Government of National Unity (GNU), in an effort to secure support of the 2025 and 2026 budget passage amid a standoff within the GNU.
BOSA’s acting spokesperson Roger Solomons said the party also noted that other parties outside the GNU, including the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), the uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MK Party), and ActionSA, have been engaged in similar discussions.
However, Solomons made it clear that BOSA will only support a budget that serves the best interests of the people of South Africa.
”Negotiations about the budget will not be transactional or bilateral,” he said.
“Only an agreement that addresses the pains of citizens will be accepted by BOSA.”
Solomons stressed the budget cycle operates on a three-year medium-term framework, which means decisions must aim for stability over the medium term.
“Moreover, commitments ought to be made now, even though many will effectively only be realised by the end of the medium-term,” he said.
The ANC recently held talks with the ActionSA, which has formally rejected the party's latest budget proposal, primarily over the contentious issue of a potential Value Added Tax (VAT) increase.
Earlier this month, Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana tabled the budget after a long battle of postponement and negotiations.
Godongwana announced a 0.5% VAT increase in the 2025/2026 and another 0.5 % increase for the 2026/2027 financial years, bringing VAT to 16%.
As the ANC seeks support for the budget vote, BOSA confirmed the request for a meeting on the issue.
Solomons said BOSA has decided to engage in negotiations based on the following key fiscal reforms, including freezing middle and upper management hiring, reducing unnecessary expenditure on an inflated bureaucracy, reducing the size of the Cabinet to create a lean, efficient and accountable executive and streamlining the administrative and executive costs in provincial governments by slashing wasteful spending and redirecting resources to service delivery.
In addition, BOSA said it will press the closure of unnecessary diplomatic missions, the reduction of State-owned enterprise bailouts, and the abolition of VIP protection for politicians, which they argue is wasteful while ordinary citizens face rising crime.
Solomons added that they call for a reform of the Road Accident Fund (RAF), to ensure financial sustainability and fair compensation practices, and end government funding of Skills Education Training Authorities (SETAs), which he suggested should be privately funded.
Beyond cost-cutting, BOSA believes that South Africa needs a bold and ambitious pro-growth agenda.
The party called on the GNU to adopt a Growth Charter targeting a 5% economic growth rate within the next three years.
This charter should include:
- Ease of doing business reforms to reduce red tape and attract investment.
- Infrastructure investment, focusing on energy, transport, and digital infrastructure to boost productivity.
- Public-private partnerships (PPPs) to enhance service delivery.
- Support for small, medium, and micro enterprises (SMMEs) and entrepreneurs through targeted incentives and reduced barriers to entry.
- Labour market reform to encourage job creation.
- Energy security, particularly addressing Eskom’s inefficiencies and diversifying the energy mix.
- Improved water supply, with better oversight of the Municipal Infrastructure Grant (MIG) to ensure funding for water projects.
- Trade expansion to open new markets for South African goods and services.
“BOSA remains committed to constructive dialogue that delivers real change for South Africans,” he said.
”We approach these discussions with the intent to find agreements that create new jobs, reduce the cost of living, and build a more accountable and efficient government.”
IOL News previously reported that the Democratic Alliance (DA), which is part of the GNU, said it would not support the national budget and any increase in the VAT unless they were temporarily introduced.
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