Pressure can be relieved in a number of ways such as cutting consultants and reducing staffing in non-core areas such as state-owned entities, as well as ministerial office staff
Additional funds have been allocated to pay teachers, doctors, nurses and police officers but productivity is not always commensurate with salaries
The minister underlined that in the wake of efforts to grow the economy, the government must respect budget constraint
To rein in spending, the government will have to restrict recruitments and delay certain projects
The government is walking a tightrope as civil servants embark on industrial action over pay
However, the treasury still expects the country to achieve a main budget surplus from this year onwards
Labour has been on the receiving end of a failing economy’s onslaught, giving a business-friendly government the upper hand
Fiscal consolidation is drawing to a close as the public purse was boosted by commodities, but the treasury will probably continue exercising restraint
This is as a strike looms in the public sector after some unions have rejected the government’s offer of a 3% wage hike
Cosatu unions have declared a dispute and have accused the government of undermining collective bargaining
Eskom, Transnet and the public sector wage bill will feature large in next week’s medium-term budget policy statement
Commentators have weighed in on the Transnet strike’s economic hit, but strike season isn’t over yet
Workers are in the throes of a cost of living crisis, which could force the government to fold on its hard line against more spending
Enoch Godongwana is currently seized with preparations for the medium-term budget, which will give details on whether fiscal stability is still possible
The treasury is meeting rating agencies that identified the public service compensation as a threat to South Africa’s credit outlook
A portion of the government’s revenue overrun, the result of the commodity boom, will be used to pay provincial employees
The private sector, experts say, cannot alone be entrusted with the important task of stopping South Africa’s unemployment tailspin
Better service delivery and morality are among the things needed to save the ANC from sinking further
The new finance minister said there would be no new bailout for Eskom or other parastatals, with the exception of Denel, which was thrown a lifeline after defaulting on debt to the tune of R2.9-billion
The new finance minister has a difficult task, but analysts say his political capital will help him hold a hard line on state spending
Ramaphosa needs to build broad political consensus if he is to have any chance of pursuing his fiscal and structural reform agenda
During a webinar on Wednesday evening, the former finance minister said the country needs a stronger social compact and a more detailed recovery plan
The trade union rejects Senzo Mchunu’s ‘stunt’ on asking the public to weigh in on public sector wage bill
The state faces a dilemma: it made a three-year wage agreement with public servants in 2018, before the pandemic, but reneging on it now will undermine labour’s trust
The finance minister has said it’s not an austerity project. But the numbers and economists disagree
Last year, the finance minister noted that increased government spending has failed to promote growth over the past decade
Finance Minister Tito Mboweni has the difficult task of kick-starting a stalled economy while also cutting on spending
Public sector unions have cried foul over the government’s plan to freeze wages for three years and have vowed to fight back.
The mid-term budget policy statement delivered by the finance minister proposes cutting all non-interest spending by R300-billion.
Cosatu rejects job losses and a wage freeze for public servants, calling this ‘a declaration of war’