Mid-term budget | Maimane: Budget lets politicians off the hook

PARLIAMENT -  The people of South Africa are paying for government's mistakes.

Build One South Africa leader Mmusi Maimane says the biggest thing missing from the finance minister's budget was accountability.

READ: Mid-term budget speech | Godongwana reveals worsening budget deficit

Maimane said, "debt-servicing costs have increased fundamentally because of greylisting which was legislation that should have been passed by government in the strength of the fight against corruption."

"It's a manifesto that said to the people we'll cancel their Eskom debts so that municipalities that were dysfunctional and do that get off scot free."

"So that budget to me indicates a fact that we are in deep trouble as the people of South Africa. What becomes important going forward, and I am grateful there were no immediate increases in taxes and fundamentally more so I think we need to look at how we cost fuel so that we can ease that burden for consumers."

"We've left the cabinet the same even though there was an indicator about since 2013, the promise of restructuring the size of cabinet and how the state works - none of that is happening."

"So to me, all I heard today was more of the same but getting off scot free without dealing with the real problems so politicians won and the people suffer today."