Cape Town - Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana is delivering his maiden budget Budget Speech.
There have been calls for increased social spending and growing the economy.
Political parties and civil society on Tuesday said it was time for government to ensure job creation was at the centre of the Budget.
Cosatu and Saftu want the government to introduce the Basic Income Grant, fight corruption and create more jobs for the unemployed people.
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In the last figures by Statistics South Africa, unemployment rose to 34.9%, which is the highest in years.
A few weeks, Cosatu said ago unemployment was sitting at 26% in 1994, but today, it was spiralling out of control.
When he appeared before the standing committee on finance a few weeks ago, Godongwana told MPs that he would focus on corruption as well in his budget.
He also said he would tell the nation on budget day how the country would be able to meet its financial obligations despite the debt that is sitting at 80% of the Gross Domestic Product.
“The third point is, are we likely to meet our obligations? The answer is yes and no. Yes, for now. That is what we will be telling you on the 23rd. Yes, for now. But we will also be telling you another story, and that story is: if we don’t change the debt trajectory, we may not meet our obligations. Our commitment is that we must change the debt trajectory so that we should be able to meet our obligations,” said Godongwana.
Political parties called on Godongwana to table a budget that would clamp down on corruption, create jobs and grow the economy.
The DA, IFP, FF Plus and Good Party said this was the opportunity that Godongwana must not miss implementing some of the announcements made by President Cyril Ramaphosa in his State of the Nation Address.
Civil society also called for a pro-poor budget saying the government must announce the introduction of the basic income grant.
The R350 social relief of distress grant has been extended for a year until March next year.
But opposition parties, trade unions and civil society said Godongwana must announce the basic income grant for millions of unemployed.
The social relief of distress grant, said Ramaphosa recently in his State of the Nation Address, cushioned millions after initially being given to six million people, but that number has increased to 11 million.
siyabonga.mkhwanazi@inl.co.za
POLITICAL BUREAU