Mboweni hit nail on the head:

There is no truer statement about the state of our country, which perhaps resonates with South Africans, than that said by finance minister Tito Mboweni yesterday. “Madam Speaker, we cannot go on like this. Classroom sizes are growing, hospitals are getting fuller and our communities are becoming increasingly unsafe,” Mboweni said.

It is a simple, yet profound characterisation of three fundamental rights that government has failed to deliver, at least for all citizens — the right to education, health and safety.

Delivering his much-anticipated budget speech yesterday, Mboweni walked a tightrope, forecasting our economy will grow by only 0.9%.

Our growth is largely held back by our consistent electricity crisis, among other things.

Even more concerning is that the government continues to spend more than it earns, with a consolidated budget deficit of 6.8% of GDP in 2020/2021.

Our trajectory is unsustainable. It demands that the government makes some tough and politically unpopular decisions to cut spending to get public finances back on track.

Most notable of these was Mboweni’s announcement that the government planned to cut the wage bill by R160bn in the next three years.

It is an announcement that will spark retaliation from labour unions, which are likely to cultivate political muscle to derail it.

Yet, regardless of political rhetoric, it is a reality that though there are many dedicated civil servants who do a sterling job, there are also far too many who are simply there to milk the system.

Similarly, Mboweni’s announcements of pouring in more billions at SAA and Eskom may indeed keep them barely functional for the next while.

But they are not enough to deal with the real structural challenges brought on by years of mismanagement and corruption in those entities.

Mboweni’s speech was a sobering reflection of the state of our finances. His plans indicate much of what needs to be done to turn the tide.

Now it is time to walk the talk.