Imagine a small group of people straining to pull a cart up a hill. The road seems to get steeper all the time, and the cart heavier, but they bend their backs and pull all the harder. We will call the leader of this group the Finance Minister; he regularly encourages and admonishes his team-mates to work in unison, and many of them do. The Ministers of National Planning, of Health, of Macro-economic Development, of Home Affairs, and quite a few others, are all trying hard to pull in – more or less – the same direction.

Yesterday’s Medium Term Budget Policy Statement (MTBPS) was precisely the kind of performance that we have come to expect from Pravin Gordhan, just as we expected it from his predecessor, Trevor Manuel. It was delivered with a trademark blend of solemnity and humour; it candidly acknowledged the difficulties we face, and set a determined, Churchillian countenance against them. We will meet the challenges, said the Minister, and overcome them.

Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference

Parliamentary Liaison Office (CPLO)

P O Box 2910, CAPE TOWN, 8000

Tel: (021) 461-1417, Fax: (021) 461-6961

Website: www.cplo.org.za