MTBPS 2026: date, time and how to watch the mini budget
Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana tables South Africa's 2026 Medium Term Budget Policy Statement (MTBPS), often called the mini budget, in Parliament on Wednesday 21 October 2026 at 14:00 South African time (South African Government, SAnews).
Quick answers
- Date: Wednesday 21 October 2026. SAnews says it is part of the Cabinet-approved budget calendar, which remains unchanged.
- Time: 14:00 South African time (12:00 UTC). National Treasury told economists that the minister "will table the MTBPS in Parliament on 21 October at 14:00" (National Treasury notice, 28 August 2026).
- How to watch: live on Parliament's YouTube channel and on the major South African news broadcasters, the government says.
- Documents: the full MTBPS documents are published on the National Treasury website when the minister tables them.
What the MTBPS is
The MTBPS is the government's mid-year update on its budget. The main Budget is tabled in February; in October the minister reports on how the economy and tax collection have turned out since then, and previews spending plans for the next three years, which feed into the next February's Budget.
This year Treasury links it to two items:
- the proposed 2026 Adjusted Fiscal Framework, the updated numbers for the current year, and
- the 2027 Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF), the spending plan for the next three years.
After the tabling, Treasury will launch its Fiscal Outreach campaign, including a public engagement on the fiscal strategy that it moved from July to October (SAnews).
What people usually watch for
- Growth forecast: how fast Treasury now expects the economy to grow.
- Tax collection: whether revenue is above or below February's estimates.
- Debt and deficit: the updated path for government borrowing.
- Spending changes: adjustments to this year's budget and the plans for the next three years.
The MTBPS sets out direction and estimates. New tax rates are normally announced in the February Budget, not in October.
Last year
The 2025 MTBPS was tabled late, on 12 November 2025, because the main 2025 Budget itself had been delayed (National Treasury). This year it returns to its usual October slot.
