South Africa's two biggest political parties, the African National Congress and the pro-business Democratic Alliance were yet to reach agreement to pass the budget on Tuesday, hours before a key parliamentary committee was set to debate it.

Budget Vote raises serious concerns for cancer patients as funds traditionally allocated to communicable diseases may be redirected. DKMS Africa warns that with only a fraction of needed stem cell transplants being performed and thousands dying annually from blood cancer,

The Democratic Alliance, which joined the government after the long-ruling African National Congress lost its parliamentary majority last year, said it could not support a tax increase that would further burden the poor majority of the country’s population.