Members of Parliament from the Economic Freedom Fighters and the Democratic Alliance found common ground in the House during the Budget 2017 address by Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan.
Two sharp-eyed MPs from the opposition spotted four Cabinet Ministers who sat glumly as the rest of the parliamentarians applauded the embattled finance minister.
The EFF's Floyd Shivambu and the DA's Natasha Mazzone tweeted a photo of the moment‚ with Mazzone saying: "Minister Gordhan got a standing ovation from THE ENTIRE parly except Dlamini‚ Mahlobo‚ Van Rooyen‚ Lindiwe Zulu. You can't make this up!"
- EINA! Tax hikes will hurt but fatcats will feel pinch tooSouth Africans reeling from the tax hikes announced yesterday to fill a R28-billion hole in the state's finances should take comfort in that they are not alone - the president, his cabinet and the rich in general will have to endure the pain, too.
They were referring to Social Development Minister Bathabile Dlamini‚ Minister of State Security David Mahlobo‚ Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Des van Rooyen‚ and Lindiwe Zulu‚ the Minister of Small Business.
Spindoctor Chris Vick called it "a defining image from the #Budget2017 speech. Remember the names of those who stayed sitting down."
- Budget 2017: Gordhan announces hard-hitting personal tax increasesFinance Minister Pravin Gordhan has announced hard-hitting increases in personal income tax of R16.5bn for 2017-18‚ as economic growth stutters and revenue collection falls short of expectations.
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