As we countdown the hours until the Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana tables his 2026 Budget Speech, we take a moment to consider the expectations for the public purse and which ones will make it to the Nation's balance sheet. What new thing can we expect this time around and how much manoeuvring does the Finance Minister have this time around?

Some political parties are calling for the Minister to cut wasteful expenditure, prevent tax bracket creep, end outsourcing, allocate more money to education, initiatives for jobs and increase budget for public safety. Some civil society organizations have called for universal social protection to help 17,8 million people facing poverty, climate change, gender-based violence and no bailouts for state-owned entity. There is also a call being made to end austerity measures which negatively impact budget allocation to healthcare, education, infrastructure and security. In this hour, we unpack some of these expectations and allow our guests to share what listeners should look out for when the Minister speaks to the nation. We are joined by...

Guest: Ruben Johannes - Tax Partner at Deloitte Southern Africa

Guest: Lisa Higginson – Researcher at the Budget Justice Coalition

Guest: Redge Nkosi - Executive Director and Head of Research: Money, Banking and Macroeconomics at Firstsource Money and African Heterodox Economics Network