South Africa’s Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) have urged the Speaker of Parliament to halt Wednesday’s vote on the next stage of the budget process, citing procedural flaws in a key committee’s decision.
In a letter to National Assembly Speaker Thoko Didiza, the EFF argued that Tuesday’s approval of the fiscal framework by the Standing Committee on Finance was “procedurally defective and vulnerable to legal challenge.” The party demanded that the committee’s report be withdrawn and that the parliamentary vote be postponed.
“Should this not occur, the EFF … will consider urgent legal steps, including the possibility of an interdict, to prevent the tabling and processing of a report adopted in violation of the law,” the letter stated.
The African National Congress (ANC), the dominant party in the ruling coalition, secured the committee’s approval with support from ActionSA, a party outside the coalition. This move sparked criticism from the ANC’s key coalition partner, the Democratic Alliance (DA), which accused the party of crossing a “line in the sand” by seeking votes from outside the alliance.
Adding to the controversy, the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU), a longtime ANC ally, warned that ignoring parliamentary concerns over tax measures—such as raising value-added tax (VAT) and failing to adjust personal income tax (PIT) brackets for inflation—would be a “travesty.”
“That will be a calamity and breach of trust that politicians heading into the 2026 local elections dare not play with,” COSATU said in a statement.
