Nehawu, DA put pressure on Gordhan ahead of Budget speech
As the Finance Minister puts the final touches to his budget speech, trade union Nehawu is planning mass action in five of the country's provinces - including KZN - to protest against austerity measures.
Pravin Gordhan will deliver his speech in Parliament tomorrow afternoon.
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Nehawu's Zola Saphatha says the austerity measures will have a negative impact on low-income earners.
"There have been five different marches in five different provinces. The major march will be in the Western Cape in parliament led by the president of NEHAWU - where we'll be sending over a memorandum to the minister," he said.
Meanwhile, the DA says it will present its own detailed 'budget' after Gordhan explains how the public purse will be distributed tomorrow.
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The opposition party is calling for Gordhan to re-prioritise how money is spent over the next two years.
The DA's spokesperson on finance, David Maynier, says the fiscal tools Gordhan is currently using - such as the expenditure ceiling and cost containment measures - need to be reviewed for the economy's growth to be consistent.
"What we do know is that last year the minister reached into our pockets and helped himself to R18.1-billion, and what he's likely to do this year is reach into our pockets for R28-billion. That is why we've proposed a comprehensive spending review," he said.