South Africa’s Democratic Alliance (DA) has joined the opposition Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) in pushing to delay a parliamentary vote on the 2025 budget, intensifying tensions within the country’s coalition government.
At the center of the dispute is a proposed one-percentage-point increase in value-added tax (VAT) over two years, which most major parties argue would disproportionately impact the poorest citizens.
Despite widespread objections, a parliamentary committee on Tuesday approved a report backing the budget’s fiscal framework. Parliament is scheduled to debate and vote on the proposal at 14:00 local time (12:00 GMT) on Wednesday.
Both the DA and EFF have sent letters to National Assembly Speaker Thoko Didiza, arguing that Tuesday’s proceedings were flawed. The EFF warned that the process was “defective and vulnerable to legal challenge” and demanded the report’s withdrawal, threatening legal action if the vote goes ahead as planned.
The African National Congress (ANC), the dominant party in the coalition, had to rely on ActionSA—an opposition party outside the coalition—to secure enough votes for Tuesday’s approval. The DA has accused the ANC of violating coalition principles by seeking external support, calling it a breach of trust.
Adding to the pressure, COSATU, the country’s largest trade union federation and a longtime ANC ally, denounced the proposed VAT hike and the government’s failure to adjust income tax brackets for inflation, calling it a “travesty” if parliament ignored these concerns.
