Latest news with #2025and2026AppropriationBill
IOL News
5 days ago
- Politics
- IOL News
Appropriation Bill Finally Passed After Late-Night Confusion in Parliament
One of the biggest surprises came when MK Party Chief Whip Colleen Makhubele voted "yes" to the bill, even though her party had clearly said it would vote against it. This led to confusion in the National Assembly, with MPs looking around, unsure if they had heard her correctly. Image: ARCHIVES After a long day of debates and delays, Parliament finally passed the 2025 and 2026 Appropriation Bill late on Wednesday night. The bill, which allows the government to spend money on services like schools, hospitals and roads, was approved with enough votes from members of the new Government of National Unity. But the night did not go smoothly. One of the biggest surprises came when MK Party Chief Whip Colleen Makhubele voted "yes" to the bill, even though her party had clearly said it would vote against it. This led to confusion in the National Assembly, with MPs looking around, unsure if they had heard her correctly Next Stay Close ✕ . Makhubele later said she thought the vote was for something else. She quickly changed her vote to 'no' after realising her mistake. But by then, MPs from other parties had already started heckling her. Some laughed. Others shouted. A few told her she was not ready for the job. But Makhubele stood up and explained herself. 'I am new in this role,' she said. 'Mistakes do happen.' She added that she did not mean to vote in favour of the bill and had simply misunderstood what was being voted on at the time. Even with the confusion, the Appropriation Bill passed. Members of the African National Congress, the Democratic Alliance and other coalition partners voted in favour. This helped the new Government of National Unity show that it can work together to pass important laws, even with all the noise and disagreements. Many South Africans were watching closely. This was the first big test for the new Parliament after the national elections. The bill is important because it tells the government how much money it can spend and where that money will go. Without it, many departments would not be able to function properly. Some people say the mistake by Makhubele was not a big deal. Others believe it shows there is still a lot of confusion in this new Parliament, especially with so many different parties involved. One MP, who asked not to be named, said after the vote, 'This is going to happen a lot. There are too many new faces, and not everyone is on the same page.' So far, the MK Party has not said whether it will take any action against Makhubele. She is still quite new to the position of chief whip, and some say it would be unfair to punish her for what looked like an honest mistake. Meanwhile, Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana said he was happy the bill had passed. He said it was a sign that, despite the disagreements, Parliament was still able to do its job. 'This is an important moment,' he said. 'Now we can focus on getting services to the people.'
eNCA
5 days ago
- Politics
- eNCA
MK Party Chief Whip vote confusion
CAPE TOWN - After much back and forth, the Government of National Unity has finally passed a bill together. The 2025 and 2026 Appropriation Bill was passed on Wednesday night. There was confusion when MK Party Chief Whip Colleen Makhubele voted 'YES' to the Appropriation Bill, despite her party maintaining it would reject the bill. But she says she thought they were voting on another matter. Makhubele then changed the party's vote and was heckled by MPs.
