As South Africa faces rising household costs, the 2026 National Budget is met with disappointment. Find out why industry experts are calling for more immediate relief for struggling consumers.
Image: File.
In the wake of the National Budget Speech address, South Africa grapples with a fiscal landscape that, while stabilising, provides scant immediate relief for households buckling under the weight of soaring living costs.
Amidst reports of rampant food inflation, rising electricity tariffs, and increased transport costs, many citizens find themselves ensnared in a web of financial distress, a situation echoed by industry leaders.
According to Neil Roets, CEO of Debt Rescue, the government’s fiscal measures fall short of addressing the acute challenges facing South African consumers.
“While fiscal stabilisation is important for long-term economic sustainability, it does little to ease the immediate financial pressure on households. Many South Africans are already stretched to their limits, and rising living costs continue to outpace income growth,” Roets told Business Report on Wednesdat.
Budget 2026 logo. As South Africa gears up for its vital budget, what can consumers expect?
Image: File.
Roets’ sentiments underscore the discontent among communities where affordability has become a persistent concern.
Reports indicate a marked increase in financial distress, with many households struggling to meet their obligations despite maintaining employment.
This troubling trend highlights a critical need for effective measures to support the millions existing on the brink of financial ruin.
He added that tax bracket adjustments linked to inflation will help prevent further erosion of disposable income.
Roets said, "They do not improve consumers’ financial position in real terms. Similarly, increases in social grants provide essential support, but they are unlikely to keep pace with rising costs."
“Sustainable job creation remains the single most important factor in restoring financial stability,” Roets added.
“Without meaningful employment growth and measures to improve affordability, millions of South Africans will continue to face ongoing financial strain.”
The road ahead remains fraught with challenges, and as South Africans navigate this fiscal reality, the urgency for comprehensive economic solutions grows more pressing.
The increasing financial strain on households serves as a clarion call for both government action and corporate responsibility as the nation seeks a path toward recovery and sustainable growth.
Adding to Roets concerns, was trade union, Congress of South African Trade Union (Cosatu).
Cosatu said on Wednesday that it noted with extreme disappointment the lackluster 2026/27 Budget and Medium-Term Expenditure Framework tabled at Parliament by government.
"Whilst appreciating that there are some progressive and important allocations that Cosatu campaigned included in the Budget, as an overall package it fails to respond decisively to the fundamental crises facing the working class and the economy, in particular a 41.1% unemployment rate, economic growth far below the 3% needed to create jobs, struggling public and municipal services and State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs), entrenched levels of poverty and inequality, and endemic crime and corruption," Cosatu said in reaction to the Finance Minister's Budget.
"Tragically the Budget is focused on balancing the books not at aggressively kickstarting economic growth or tackling unemployment. Key to providing an environment where the economy can take off and the lives of the working class be improved, is to ensure that frontline public services have the resources needed to fulfill their constitutional and developmental mandates," the union further stated.
"Cosatu is extremely frustrated that Treasury and government collectively, have once again reduced the Budget to balancing books and missed the opportunity to table a bold stimulus package that would fix public and municipal services, spur economic growth, boost employment, provide relief for the poor and unemployed, and ramp up tax compliance," Cosatu added.
The union added that it would be seeking urgent engagements with Treasury and government as well as Parliament to ensure that these failures are addressed.
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