Following the presentation of the 2026 National Budget by Enoch Godongwana on Wednesday, 25 February, the student housing sector finds itself at a pivotal moment, alongside a range of other pressing issues affecting residents.
Economist Ulrich Joubert noted that the speech must focus on the determination of the government to control its deficit and bring the total government debt percentage down.
Furthermore, Godongwana noted that we have already reaped the fruits of the fiscal strategy. He detailed some of the key features employed:
* Support economic growth by accelerating public investment.
* Improve the efficiency of public spending.
* Improve the composition of spending by containing the public-service wage bill while increasing capital investment.
* Entrench sustainable public finances with a principles-led fiscal anchor
“The consolidated budget deficit has narrowed to 4.5% of GDP for 2025/26, an improvement from 4.8% that we estimated in the 2025 Budget. The deficit falls to 4% in 2026/27 and 3.1% the year after,” he stated.
Photo: screenshot
