Budget Speech: Why Tito Mboweni brings an aloe plant with him

The Budget Speech usually comes with a few glum forecasts: Growth, taxes and fuel prices are set to draw the biggest groans on Wednesday, and heaven knows that South Africa could do with some light relief. So when Finance Minister Tito Mboweni brings an aloe plant to Parliament, it raises a few chortles.

Tito Mboweni’s plant in Parliament

This time last year – during the Budget Speech of February 2019 – Mboweni revealed his plant to the world. It sat there on the podium alongside him, never out of view. The aloe ferox was brought out again for the Mid-Term Budget Speech in October 2019, with Tito beginning something of a tradition.

But what exactly is behind this symbolic display? Well, Mboweni has twice explained the significance of putting the aloe on display. Last February, he declared that the plant represents hope and resilience – acting as a metaphor for the South African economy, which faced an arduous march through winter:

“Today, I walk into this house with an iconic South African plant, the aloe ferox. It is resilient, sturdy and drought resistant. It withstands the elements. Today, I bring you a seed to prove that if we plant anew, we can return to those plum times.”

Tito Mboweni

Budget Speech: Why Tito Mboweni brings an aloe plant to Parliament

That was when the minister was cautiously optimistic about the good times returning to South Africa. However, it took just eight months for Tito Mboweni to change his tone. He bought the little aloe back for a second round last spring, but this time used it to illustrate how the strife in Mzansi had worsened.

“This little aloe is emerging from a long winter. During that winter, the ground became hard. The leaves fell from the trees and the air was bitterly cold. We toiled, hoping for better days. Our people became poorer. Some lost their jobs.”

Tito Mboweni

Maybe something a little…different?

But what say you, Mr Mboweni, for February 2020? We’re all waiting in anticipation to see if the aloe makes a third appearance in Parliament. However, with new cannabis and dagga legislation set to be revealed, some people have a different idea for what plant should be displayed on Wednesday:

I double-dare you to replace the aloe with this plant in your Budget speech in @ParliamentofRSA. Thanks for the Sunday smile – and for your great senses of humour! https://t.co/DRXMUNjxgV

— Cameron MacKenzie MP (@CameronMacKenz2) February 2, 2020