{"id":4111,"date":"2025-04-07T16:54:48","date_gmt":"2025-04-07T16:54:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/burn-the-priest.com\/?p=4111"},"modified":"2025-04-08T11:34:14","modified_gmt":"2025-04-08T11:34:14","slug":"hlabisa-calls-for-stability-as-vat-fallout-threatens-to-capsize-gnu","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/burn-the-priest.com\/index.php\/2025\/04\/07\/hlabisa-calls-for-stability-as-vat-fallout-threatens-to-capsize-gnu\/","title":{"rendered":"Hlabisa calls for stability as VAT fallout threatens to capsize GNU"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Inkatha Freedom Part<\/a>y (IFP) has urged for stability within the government of national unity (GNU) amid tensions over a 0.5 percentage point increase in VAT next month, saying the fallout should not be allowed to fracture the coalition.<\/p>\n

Parliament narrowly voted last week<\/a> for a fiscal framework that allows Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana to use the next 30 days to find an alternative to the VAT. The measure passed despite opposition from the Democratic Alliance (DA) \u2014 the second largest party in the GNU after President Cyril Ramaphosa\u2019s ANC \u2014 which has gone to court to appeal it.<\/p>\n

The VAT debate, while serious, should not be weaponised to collapse the GNU or derail its primary mandate of restoring economic stability and adequate service delivery, IFP president Velenkosini Hlabisa<\/a> told a media briefing on Monday.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere will be no need to conflate the national issue of VAT with instability in government. If you love your people, you can\u2019t subject them to chaos when there is stability. This difference can still be resolved,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Hlabisa said there was broad agreement among the 10 parties in the GNU to reconvene urgently and map out alternative strategies to grow the economy and reduce wasteful expenditure \u2014 as well as reviewing the VAT increase.<\/p>\n

The DA<\/a> has remained unmoved in its opposition to the VAT increase, with senior leaders saying the hike would disproportionately affect poor households and violate the pro-poor platform the party campaigned on in last year\u2019s general elections.<\/p>\n

Last week, DA federal chairperson Helen Zille filed an urgent court application at the Western Cape high court against what she said were procedural and constitutional irregularities in approving the fiscal framework in parliament.<\/p>\n

The ANC secured the budget’s approval with support from ActionSA, Build One South Africa, the Patriotic Alliance, IFP, United Democratic Movement and other minority parties. The DA, Freedom Front Plus, Economic Freedom Fighters and uMkhonto weSizwe party voted against it.  <\/p>\n

On Monday, Hlabisa said although the IFP had voted in favour of the budget and the VAT increase, it would negotiate with its GNU partners for the tax hike to be a temporary measure, while acknowledging that VAT has never gone down before.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf it never happened, it doesn’t mean it will not happen going forward. I think it’s as simple as that. The difference now, there is a commitment of 10 political parties, not one political party. 10 different political parties with divergent views,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe will be coming with strategies as to how to grow the economy. If we are successful in growing the economy by pressing the right buttons at the right time, there’s nothing that will prevent this 0.5 percent  increase from being removed.\u201d<\/p>\n

He called on the parties in the KwaZulu-Natal provincial coalition government to remain calm while the ANC and the DA tried to resolve their disputes at national level.<\/p>\n

\u201cCoalition governments function differently at each level. A fallout at national level does not automatically translate to instability at provincial or local level. If you love your people, you cannot subject them to instability when there is already stability,\u201d Hlabisa said.<\/p>\n

He pointed out that the DA had been excluded from the provincial executive in Gauteng but stayed in the national coalition, adding: \u201cThere is no reason to conflate national tensions with the running of KwaZulu-Natal.\u201d<\/p>\n

The DA holds the finance portfolio in KwaZulu-Natal, with the party\u2019s MEC for finance having already tabled the provincial budget, which the IFP has thrown its weight behind, saying it prioritises service delivery and job creation.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf any party pulls out or takes a different direction, it would not reflect a love for the people,\u201d Hlabisa said.<\/p>\n

As the IFP, we are committed to maintaining a stable government in KZN.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) has urged for stability within the government of national unity (GNU) amid tensions over a 0.5 percentage point increase in VAT next month, saying the<\/p>\n

Continue reading <\/use> <\/svg>Hlabisa calls for stability as VAT fallout threatens to capsize GNU<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3847,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[8],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/burn-the-priest.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4111"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/burn-the-priest.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/burn-the-priest.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/burn-the-priest.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/burn-the-priest.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4111"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/burn-the-priest.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4111\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4112,"href":"http:\/\/burn-the-priest.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4111\/revisions\/4112"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/burn-the-priest.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3847"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/burn-the-priest.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4111"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/burn-the-priest.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4111"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/burn-the-priest.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4111"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}