MMAWUSA REJECTS THE 2025 BUDGET 3.0 SPEECH:
A BETRAYAL OF THE WORKING CLASS
The Metal Mining and Allied Workers Union of South Africa (MMAWUSA) unequivocally rejects the 2025 Budget 3.0 Speech. We do so not with disappointment but with utter contempt. The finance minister may insist this is not an “austerity budget,” yet the facts tell a different story.
Under the guise of fiscal responsibility, the fuel levy’s inflation rate hike directly attacks the workers and the poor. For instance, a factory worker will now have to spend an additional amount on transportation due to the fuel price hike, a significant burden on their already meagre income. Meanwhile, the wealthy and big business are shielded from such impacts. This is not a people’s budget; it is a corporate-friendly fiscal agenda dressed up in the language of prudence.
FALSE CLAIMS OF NO AUSTERITY
Despite government denials, this budget continues the trend of underfunding essential public services, enforcing below-inflation wage adjustments, and failing to expand social grants meaningfully. “Fiscal discipline” should never come at the cost of people’s lives. A prudent fiscal policy should focus on strategic investment in development, not pleasing ratings agencies or appeasing the wealthy elite.
TAXING THE POOR, REWARDING THE RICH
While VAT remains unchanged, indirect taxes such as the fuel levy continue to weigh heavily on workers. Rising fuel prices inflate the cost of food, transportation, and other basic needs. Meanwhile:
- Corporate tax remains at a low 27%.
- No new income taxes are imposed on the wealthy.
- Public sector wages lag behind inflation, a disguised wage cut.
- Social grants fail to keep up with the rising cost of living.
- Instead of schools, clinics, and roads, R1.3 trillion is spent on servicing debt.
THE RISING COST OF LIVING: WORKERS CARRY THE BURDEN
Transportation costs have surged, placing immense pressure on workers who rely on public transport. In April 2025, the average Household Food Basket hit R5,420.30, a 1.7% monthly and 1.6% annual increase. Prices for basic foods like tomatoes (26%), carrots (20%), and onions (11%) are soaring.
Meanwhile, even after the recent increase to R560, the Child Support Grant remains far below the Food Poverty Line (R796) and the actual cost of a nutritious diet for a child (R973.25). This means that a single mother in the rural areas receiving the grant still struggles to provide her child with a balanced diet, let alone cover other essential expenses. This exposes the profound disconnect between budget allocations and real household needs.
INTERNATIONAL TRADE MUST PRIORITISE WORKERS AND THE POOR
While the finance minister raises concerns about global trade tensions, MMAWUSA urges a shift in focus toward building trade relations that directly benefit workers and people experiencing poverty, not just multinational corporations.
Trade policy must be shaped to protect local industries, create decent and secure jobs, and promote inclusive economic growth. We call on the Minister to prioritise fair and equitable trade agreements that uplift working-class communities and contribute to sustainable development.
REDIRECTING FUNDS TO FIGHT CORRUPTION AND STRENGTHEN JUSTICE
South Africa scored 41/100 on the 2024 Corruption Perceptions Index, ranking 82nd globally. Over the past 15 years, South African taxpayers have been forced to pour an estimated R521 billion into bailing out dysfunctional and corrupt state-owned enterprises (SOEs), with no meaningful return or improvement in services.
This staggering waste of public funds results from systemic corruption, mismanagement, and a lack of accountability. Instead of throwing money into a broken system, the government must urgently channel all available resources into fighting corruption by strengthening oversight institutions, prosecuting those responsible, and ensuring that public funds are used to serve the people, not to enrich the politically connected.
MMAWUSA REJECTS ANTI-POOR BUDGET – DEMANDS ECONOMIC JUSTICE NOW
MMAWUSA strongly rejects the 2025 Budget 3.0, which is not a development plan but a neoliberal blueprint designed to appease markets and protect elite interests. It blatantly ignores the daily struggles of South Africa’s working class and offers no path to justice, dignity, or economic transformation.
We refuse to remain silent while low-income communities carry the weight of so-called “fiscal consolidation.” Enough is enough.
MMAWUSA demands a people-centred budget that:
- Redistributes wealth to reduce inequality,
- Puts people before profits,
- Builds an inclusive economy that benefits all, not just the privileged few,
- Fixes the healthcare crisis by urgently addressing doctor and nurse shortages, especially in rural areas.
- Revitalises education by repairing infrastructure and ensuring dignified learning conditions for all learners.
- Invests in public transport, including rescuing Rea Vaya and Autopax, to guarantee safe, affordable, and reliable mobility for working people.
- Fills the 166,365 vacant public service posts, over 75% of which are in key provinces such as the Eastern Cape, Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal. These unfilled positions severely undermine service delivery and overburden existing staff. This is not a question of capacity but a political decision to neglect the people.
The time for rhetoric is over. South Africa needs a bold, redistributive budget that serves the people, not the powerful.
Issued by MMAWUSA