The Finance Minister’s medium-term budget speech tops the agenda in what is set to be a busy week in Parliament.
MONDAY
DA Leader John Steenhuisen will today visit Nelson Mandela Bay to highlight crime on the Gqeberha beachfront and its impact on tourism in the area. This follows Tourism Minister Patricia de Lille’s proposal last week for a specialised police unit to protect tourists.
Meanwhile, in the U.S., former President Barack Obama and rock star Bruce Springsteen will be campaigning for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz in Philadelphia.
TUESDAY
Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Basic Education will consult with provincial departments on budget cuts while the Portfolio Committee on Trade, Industry and Competition will engage the Department on the implementation of its Master Plans.
Green Peace Africa will brief the Portfolio Committee on Forestry, Fisheries and Environment on its air pollution report ‘Major Air Polluters in Africa’.
Executive director of the Centre for Development and Enterprise, Ann Bernstein, will host former US ambassador to South Africa, Patrick Gaspard for an online conversation on the US presidential election to take place on 5 November.
WEDNESDAY
Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana will table his Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement (MTBPS) in Parliament. The MTBPS sets out the government’s main policy goals and priorities, and forecasts the economy and budget for the next three years.
As the first MTBPS since the Government of National Unity’s formation, the Finance Minister’s speech could be an indicator of policy cohesion—or potential division—within the new administration.
Also on Wednesday, the Portfolio Committee on Electricity and Energy will focus on nuclear power. Up for consideration is its report on the Nuclear Energy Summit and the oversight visit to Eskom’s Koeberg Nuclear Power Plant.
Botswana will hold a general election, with President Mokgweetsi Masisi the favourite to win against three challengers.
THURSDAY
Deputy President Paul Mashatile will field questions in the National Assembly. Question topics include his recent engagements with international investors, South Africa’s skills crisis, water shortages and a question from the uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) party on expropriation without compensation.
FRIDAY
The monthly purchasing managers’ index (PMI) for the South African manufacturing sector, compiled by the Bureau for Economic Research, is scheduled for release.
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