JOHANNESBURG - Speculation about whether or not Finance Minister Malusi Gigaba would be delivering the 2018 Budget Speech has been put to bed.
With the launch of the National Treasury’s online budget portal this morning, Gigaba said he would be delivering the budget speech tomorrow.
Also read: #Budget2018: Where will the R50 billion deficit come from?
The Minister of Finance, Malusi Gigaba, will be launching the Vulekamali online budget data portal developed by IMALI YETHU and National Treasury on tomorrow, 20 February, at Parliament in Cape Town. @ImaliYethu #Budget2018 pic.twitter.com/zmwyw48dxj
— National Treasury (@TreasuryRSA) February 19, 2018
Dep Minister Buthelezi: It's unfair to ask deployees (Ministers) if they will still be in their positions. Only the President knows that. pic.twitter.com/K8JhSPmHFE
— National Treasury (@TreasuryRSA) February 20, 2018
Sfiso Buthelezi, the South African Deputy Minister of Finance, answered the question on behalf of Gigaba saying that the Finance Minister will be delivering the speech.
“The question that is being asked of the minister, if he is going to present the budget. That is why we are here. There is a budget that is going to be presented tomorrow and it is going to be presented by nobody else but Malusi Gigaba,” Buthelezi told reporters at a media briefing.
The online portal is called Vulekamali and was launched in order to make it more accessible to access information about the budget.
New President Cyril Ramaphosa is expected to reshuffle his cabinet and Gigaba, seen as loyal to Zuma, is among ministers likely to be affected.