While opposition parties were generally uninspired by Finance Minister Tito Mboweni's supplementary budget he delivered on Wednesday, his most strident criticism came from within the tripartite alliance as Cosatu expressed its disillusionment with the budget.

Cosatu's parliamentary co-ordinator, Matthew Parks, said in a statement it was "extremely disheartened and disillusioned by the uninspiring and timid supplementary budget presented by Minister Mboweni and his technocrats".

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DA spokesperson on finance Geordin Hill-Lewis said Mboweni's speech sounded like more of a plea to his own party to support the stalled economic reform agenda.

"The minister of finance has not made any major pronouncements on the state of state-owned entities and has left far too much room for speculation in a time when certainty is required to boost investor confidence," said its spokesperson on finance and public enterprises, Mzamo Buthelezi, in a statement.

"South Africa's economy is staring into an abyss, state debt is escalating, unemployment is at record highs, the bloated public service with its union patrons are firmly in control, and the government still wants to raise an additional R43 billion over the next four years?"