2026 Budget signals economic recovery, protects the poor – Ramaphosa

By Cyril Ramaphosa

Last week, Minister of Finance Enoch Godongwana presented a Budget that will accelerate the momentum of inclusive growth, create jobs and tackle poverty.

Every budgetary allocation is a developmental choice: ensuring there are teachers in classrooms, nurses and doctors in clinics, electricity and basic services in homes and businesses, infrastructure to grow the economy, and employment opportunities for communities.

After a prolonged period of economic uncertainty, this Budget builds on the progress made over the last few years to stabilise, reform and transform our economy. Improvements in public finances, stabilising debt, a narrowing budget deficit, credit rating upgrades and improved market confidence all signal the beginning of an economic recovery.

A stable macroeconomic environment boosts investor confidence and increases government’s capacity to invest in both growth and poverty relief without compromising sustainability.

The stabilisation of public finances gives us space to accelerate public investment, sustain the social