MTBPS2025 in a Nutshell: A Turning Point for South Africa’s Finances

Loading player...
SPECIAL BROADCAST GUESTS:
Sifiso Skenjana – Economist & Managing Director, ESG Analytics |
Enoch Godongwana – Minister of Finance |
Edward Kieswetter – SARS Commissioner |
John Steenhuisen – Minister of Agriculture |
Zuko Godlimpi – Deputy Minister of Trade, Industry & Competition |
Songezo Zibi – SCOPA Chairperson |
Miyelani Holeni – Group Chief Advisor, Ntiyiso Consulting Group

South Africa’s fiscal story just got a little brighter. In a surprisingly upbeat 2025 Mid-Term Budget Policy Statement, Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana signalled that the country’s long climb toward fiscal stability is finally paying off.

The deficit is narrowing faster than expected, debt is stabilising below 78% of GDP, and the primary balance is back in surplus for the first time in over a decade. Buoyed by higher tax revenues, lower borrowing costs, and renewed investor confidence, government is projecting a return to fiscal health by 2028, alongside a bold new 3% inflation target that could lock in lower interest rates for years to come.

In this special broadcast, Gugulethu Mfuphi brings together key policymakers and economic minds, from Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana to SARS Commissioner Edward Kieswetter, SCOPA Chair Songezo Zibi, and more to unpack what this new fiscal chapter means for growth, agriculture, trade, and the everyday South African.

From the numbers behind the optimism to the politics shaping policy discipline, our guests explore whether this is finally the inflection point for South Africa’s economy and what it will take to keep the momentum going.
12 Nov 2025 3PM English South Africa Business News · Investing

Other recent episodes

Surging Healthcare Costs & BHF’s Risk-Pooling Plan

Charlton Murove, Head of Research at the Board of Healthcare Funders (BHF), unpacks the financial squeeze facing South Africa’s private healthcare sector, where surging payouts for high-cost treatments threaten scheme solvency, and details the BHF’s proposal for an industry-wide risk-sharing pool to curb runaway medical aid contribution hikes.
4 Nov 2PM 17 min

US-SA Bilateral Reset & Market Impact

Econometrix Chief Economist Dr. Azar Jammine analyzes the economic implications of shifting US political dynamics and President Ramaphosa’s renewed optimism for bilateral relations. He unpacks what a potential diplomatic reset means for foreign direct investment, currency stability, and how South Africa must navigate international trade partnerships to protect long-term growth.
4 Nov 2PM 14 min

Municipal Failure, Capital Collapse, and SA’s Macroeconomic Trajectory

Political economist Duma Gqubule and Momentum Investments Chief Economist Sanisha Packirisamy break down the severe economic consequences of South Africa’s local government crisis. Together, they analyze how failing municipal infrastructure, collapsing fixed investment, and systemic local fiscal risks directly drag down national GDP, threaten sovereign ratings, and shape the country's…
4 Nov 12PM 22 min

Protecting Export Jobs and Navigating the 60-Day AGOA Deadline

COSATU Parliamentary Coordinator Matthew Parks lays out organized labor’s emergency demands, from UIF relief to trade leverage, as South Africa faces a critical 60-day window following Washington’s move to terminate duty-free AGOA trade access, putting thousands of export jobs at risk.
4 Nov 11AM 14 min

The Statistical Reality of Municipal Decay and Voter Disengagement

Former Statistician-General Dr. Pali Lehohla unpacks the hard demographic and economic data driving growing voter disengagement, structural poverty, and why the true story behind South Africa’s local government crisis lies in the nation's numbers rather than ballot paper promises.
4 Nov 11AM 14 min