NCOP passes national budget; MKP, EFF slam process as ‘misappropriation’
The National Council of Provinces (NCOP) has officially wrapped up the 2025 budget process by voting in favour of the Appropriation Bill, which allocates national funding across government departments and public entities for the 2025/26 financial year.
The bill was passed with 51 votes in favour, nine against, and no abstentions, clearing the way for President Cyril Ramaphosa to sign it into law.
The final vote follows last week’s robust debate and approval of the bill in the National Assembly, the first step in the passage of any money bill under the Constitution.
But while the governing ANC and some smaller parties endorsed the bill, fierce criticism persisted from opposition benches, particularly from the uMkhonto weSizwe Party and the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), who accused the government of misusing public funds and failing to address South Africa’s urgent socio-economic challenges.
"It’s a lifeline for your corrupt politicians, failing ministers and bloated departments that can never deliver a simple toilet without a scandal," said MK Party MP Mmabatho Mokoena.
"You call it the Appropriation Bill, we call it a misappropriation bonanza."
Mokoena also lambasted the Government of National Unity, labelling it "a group of the notorious and the useless", and warned that South Africans would hold it accountable at the ballot box.
"You can delay delivery, you can silence objections and stage fake unity, but you cannot survive the truth—and you cannot escape the voters come 2026 and come 2029."
The EFF, which also voted against the bill, said the national budget entrenches inequality and continues to favour the interests of financial institutions over the people.
"We reject this budget because it continues to sustain the same neoliberal framework that has failed our people year after year,” said EFF's Mathapelo Siwisa.
In contrast, the Democratic Alliance (DA), while critical of the bill’s shortcomings, ultimately supported its passage.
DA MP Dennis Ryder said it was a practical budget under difficult economic circumstances.
"Is it a perfect document? No. No budget ever can be—and this is the reality faced by every household in South Africa."
During the debate, Select Committee on Appropriations Chairperson Tidimalo Legwase said the committee had undertaken a thorough and inclusive process, including public participation, engagement with the Financial and Fiscal Commission and Parliamentary Budget Office, and oral submissions from organisations like trade union federation COSATU and the Institute of Race Relations.
"The committee recommends that the Appropriation Bill be adopted without amendments," Legwase told the House.
The committee made several key recommendations to National Treasury, including:
Budget adjustments in health, education, and social development to match inflation
A clear plan to fill critical vacancies in frontline sectors
A revised industrial support and procurement transformation strategy
A strengthened focus on anti-corruption funding for the National Prosecuting Authority
Modernisation support for SARS and community-focused policing by the SAPS
As with all money bills, the NCOP was required to vote on each departmental budget before taking a final vote on the bill as a whole, mirroring the process followed in the National Assembly.
The Appropriation Bill will now be submitted to the President for assent, and then it will become an Act of Parliament. This will enable departments to access and utilise their allocated budgets for service delivery and operations.
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