Johannesburg – The uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MK Party) has announced that it has formally submitted a “Motion of No Confidence” in the Minister of Finance to the Speaker of the National Assembly.
“The MK Party wishes to inform the people of South Africa that, following the decisive call by the Party Leadership for the resignation of Minister Enoch Godongwana over his reckless mishandling of the VAT matter, the MK Party has formally submitted a Motion of No Confidence in the Minister of Finance to the Speaker of the National Assembly,” the party said Friday, (25 April 2025).
A day before, on 24 April 2025, Minister Godongwana announced that the proposed VAT rate increase would be reversed, maintaining the current rate of 15% from 1 May 2025.
He said revised versions of the Appropriation Bill and Division of Revenue Bill will be introduced within a few weeks.
However, the MK Party said: “Minister Godongwana’s failure to provide clarity and leadership on the VAT issue has sowed confusion in the markets, panic among the poor, small businesses and further entrenched uncertainty in an already fragile economy.
The MK Party said the minister’s conscious decision to ignore advice to introduce wealth taxes or raise taxes on luxury consumption, and more prudent economic fiscal interventional programs for GDP growth demonstrates his negligence towards the NDP agenda to stimulate productivity and job creation.
“Instead, the Minister chose the most regressive and anti-poor option of increasing VAT, a measure that disproportionately punishes the working class, the unemployed, and the poor majority,” said the party led by former president Jacob Zuma.
“The Finance Ministry cannot be entrusted to an individual and his GNU deputies, who demonstrate such disregard for progressive fiscal alternatives that ought to address the socioeconomic realities faced by our people.”
The MK Party said Minister Godongwana’s contradictory public statements, lack of transparency, and evident disconnection from the lived experiences of the majority have rendered his continued presence in Cabinet untenable.
“The MK Party calls upon all Members of Parliament who care about the working class, the unemployed, and the economically marginalised to support this Motion of No Confidence when it is brought before the House,” the statement said.
“South Africa deserves a Finance Minister who prioritises the interests of the people over those of capital interests.”
