Read: Gordhan’s mini-budget in

Read: Gordhan’s mini-budget in a nutshell

While the minister did his best to avoid the more sensitive issue like the proposed nuclear build plan and SAA, Gordhan managed to produce an impressive speech considering the circumstances.

Read: Gordhan’s mini-budget in

South Africans waited anxiously as embattled finance minister Pravin Gordhan headed on over to parly for his mid-term budget speech, but the general consensus is that he mostly pulled it off.

Aside from a few quips about SAA and some of the more contentious issues he’s done his best to get a handle on, the minister delivered a sound plan forward and gave a few stern warnings to those who’d engage in corrupt activities.

The minister stressed the independence afforded a nation when it doesn’t have to go begging for money from international bodies, praising the South African government for not having to do so in its 22 years; but it didn’t quite feel as much like a compliment as a warning of what could happen should we not reign ourselves in.

So, without further ado, here are some of the key points the minister touched on in his speech:

  • An additional R17 billion for universities and students over the medium term
  • An increase I tax revenue of R28 billion for 2017/18
  • A more realistic look at our potential economic growth, down from 0.8% to 0.5%
  • Reducing South Africa’s budget deficit from 3.4% to 2.5% and,
  • Reigning in wasteful expenditure in order to sustain essential government initiatives.

Overall, Gordhan’s message was positive, with a large focus on consolidating what has already been put into motion.