Finance Minister managed a balancing act during a difficult economic time for SA

Goodhope Dlangamandla | goodhope@radioislam.co.za
23 February 2023| 11:00 AM CAT
1 min read

Photo Credit: City Press – Enoch Gogondwana

Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana had a tricky balancing act as he delivered the budget speech on Wednesday. He promised that the state would be as frugal with its national budget as many South Africans have been forced to be with their households.

Michelle Austin, Financial Director of Keegor Group of SA, told Radio Islam that while Godongwana made solid points and provided adequate information in some areas, she believes he could have done better in others.

“So, for instance, I think we were all expecting a lot of information and policy around the energy; my take on that is that it is not enough; the incentives that they are putting forward are not going to have an impact on the broader society and small businesses, so I think that is one area that I would like to have seen more, also would have loved to have seen more on job creation and crime and unemployment.”

She also expressed concern about the scarcity of information about the impending water crisis.

According to Austin, the money used to save the Post Office could have been used elsewhere.

Listen to the full interview on Sabahul Muslim with host Ml Junaid Kharsany and guest Michelle Austin, Financial Director of Keegor Group of SA.

The Right People For The Coalition Job

Rabia Mayet | rabiamayet@radioislam.co.za 12 November 2026 2-minute read The era of a single dominant party in South Africa has come to an end with coalition politics here to stay, as confirmed by SA’s fragmented election process. In his opinion piece, economist and...

Beyond I’m Fine…

Rabia Mayet | rabiamayet@radioislam.co.za 14 October 2026 4-minute read There are some conversations we have every single day without really thinking about them. One of those is the instinctive answer: “I’m fine” to the simple question of: “How are you?” But what if...

Great Southern BioBlitz: Nature lovers can help map SA’s biodiversity

Sameera Casmod | sameerac@radioislam.co.za 12 November 2026 | 13:12 CAT 2-minute read The Great Southern BioBlitz (GSB) is an annual international citizen science event where people across the Southern Hemisphere are invited to record the region’s biodiversity during...

Kindness Without Expectation – Part 4

The Power of Kindness Kindness Without Expectation – Doing Good for the Pleasure of Allah Over the past three days, we have been exploring the different dimensions of kindness. On Monday, we looked at how kindness begins with us, reminding ourselves that it must first...

The Asia Pacific Report

Sameera Casmod | sameerac@radioislam.co.za 12 November 2026 | 11:40 CAT 2-minute read Civil society groups are calling for the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) to balance national sovereignty with human rights and civil society principles, particularly...