Daily Podcast – February 21, 2019

21st February 2019 By: Sane Dhlamini - Creamer Media Senior Contributing Editor and Researcher

Daily Podcast – February 21, 2019

Finance Minister Tito Mboweni

For Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I’m Sane Dhlamini.

Making headlines: De Lille rates budget speech as not so Good, suspended prosecutions boss Jiba testifies at Mokgoro inquiry And, Business Unity SA says Mboweni's budget is not bold enough

 

De Lille rates budget speech as not so Good

Slow growth, financially dependent State-owned Enterprises and unproductive State expenditure is the 'aloe' leaf South Africans must chew as the fruits of looting and financial recklessness take their toll, said GOOD leader, Patricia De Lille.

De Lille was responding to Finance Minister Tito Mboweni’s budget speech yesterday.

She said that while her party, GOOD, welcomed the Minister's identification of the six priorities for fixing South Africa, there must be more action and less talk on the part of the ruling party.

 

Suspended prosecutions boss Jiba testifies at Mokgoro inquiry

Suspended Deputy National Director of Public Prosecutions Advocate Nomgcobo Jiba today took stand at the Mokgoro inquiry in her defence against damning allegations that have been made against her.

Jiba and her colleague advocate Lawrence Mrwebi are the subject of the commission of inquiry into their fitness to hold office.

The inquiry is looking into alleged anomalies raised regarding the pair’s conduct in several court cases, including the decision to withdraw charges against former head of Crime Intelligence, Richard Mdluli.

Both Jiba and Mrwebi were recently implicated in the Bosasa kickbacks scandal by the company's former COO Angelo Agrizzi, who made the allegations at the ongoing Zondo commission, which is probing State capture.

 

Business Unity SA says Mboweni's budget is not bold enough

Business Unity South Africa said on Wednesday that it was disappointed at the lack of bold steps to contain government debt in the budget, saying that the budget lacked reforms to turn the tide on low economic growth.

Busa president Sipho Pityana, in a statement, said finance minister Tito Mboweni failed to address the fundamental challenges facing South Africans and the economy.

Pityana said Busa characterised Minister Mboweni's medium-term budget policy statement in October 2018 as a reality check. He said the recent budget was a wake-up call that South Africa has run out of time.

 

That’s a roundup of news making headlines today

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