Minister of Finance Pravin Gordhan set to skip the debate on the budget in Parliament

08 March 2016 

The Minister of Finance, Pravin Gordhan, is set to skip the debate on the budget scheduled to take place on Wednesday 09 March 2016 in Parliament.

A full ninety-four minute debate on the fiscal framework, recorded in the programme as the “Consideration of the Fiscal Framework and Revenue Proposals and the Report thereon by the Standing Committee on Finance”, has been scheduled for Wednesday 09 March 2016 in Parliament.

However, it has now transpired that the Minister of Finance, Pravin Gordhan, is abroad on an investor roadshow and will therefore not be present for the debate on the fiscal framework in Parliament.

The fact that the Minister is on an investor roadshow trying to build confidence amongst concerned investors is important given the fact that we are hurtling towards junk status in South Africa. 

However, it’s simply not acceptable for the Minister to skip the debate on the fiscal framework in Parliament. The Minister tabled a how-to-beat-a-ratings-downgrade budget in Parliament. And he should be present to debate his how-to-beat-a-ratings-downgrade budget in Parliament.

I have raised the matter with the Yunus Carrim, Chairperson of the Standing Committee on Finance, as well as other committee members and all have agreed that it is not acceptable for the Minister to be absent for the debate on the Fiscal Framework in Parliament. 

With better coordination and planning, the Minister could have been present at the debate and conducted the important investor roadshow abroad. 

The DA’s Deputy-Chief Whip, Mike Waters, has therefore written to ANC Programming Whip, Fezile Bhengu, requesting that the debate be postponed until Wednesday 16 March 2016 so that the minister can be present for the debate on the fiscal framework in Parliament.

Statement issued by David Maynier MP, DA Shadow Minister of Finance, 8 March 2016