The 2024 Budget has, once again, highlighted what happens when government scores one own goal after another. True, there have been some disruptive external shocks, most recently the Covid lockdowns and the energy shock associated with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. However, far too many of the current fiscal problems stem from doing the wrong thing consistently over a long period of time. Turning the crisis around requires more than the penalty-saving heroics of our Bafana Bafana keeper.