Street vendors in Polokwane, Limpopo, say Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana should not increase Value-Added Tax (VAT).

Godongwana will present his budget speech in the National Assembly on Wednesday.

The hawkers say they started small businesses due to unemployment.

According to Stats SA, unemployment stands at 31.4% in the country.

One vendor, Mokgadi Mamoratho, says it will be expensive for them to stock goods if VAT is increased.

“We are selling on streets, so the budget is going to affect us a lot because we are targeting school kids and the public, of which their salaries are not going to get up since we are going to raise the price. We are  not going to make business in that way because of a budget and VAT, so we are requesting the Minister that if VAT can go down so that we can also manage to make a business.”

DEAF COMMUNITY

The Free State Deaf Association has called on the minister to remember the deaf community when he delivers his budget speech.

Fifty-nine-year-old Albert Mofokeng from Bloemfontein says they are often not accommodated in public facilities, where most of the time there are no Sign Language interpreters to ensure that they have access to information and services equally.

Mofokeng says, “We need to have a social worker who knows sign language, not to have an interpreter all the time.”

He says, “I am thinking we should have someone who will know sign language so that at least when we want to report something they will be there without an interpreter. It will be easy for the deaf community to come and open the cases and say whatever they want in peace, not having a problem.”

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Reporting by Rudzani Tshivhase, Mkateko Chauke and Kamohelo Tsotetsi.