No one knows how Tito Mboweni’s beloved aloe plant is doing – but hopefully it won’t have died by the time he releases the new Covid-19 coronavirus emergency budget at the end of June.
Mboweni has taken the plant to Parliament three times, using it as a metaphor for the country’s financial situation. In February last year, he said the aloe ferox was lightweight, hardy and drought resistant.
In October last year, when the fiscal situation worsened, Mboweni said the plant had a long, difficult winter behind it. In February this year, the message was that everything needed to be done to help the plant reach its full growth potential.