HUNDREDS of women protested outside Parliament yesterday during the Budget speech, demanding that government leaders stop "squandering money meant to uplift the poor".

The protestors held up posters accusing the government of spending money on supporting Jacob Zuma's many children.

One of the protestors waved a condom, while others held up banners saying, "Tax money supports Zuma's kids but what about our kids?"

They also slammed Pravin Gordhan for allocating money to struggling companies and for making provision for community workers to get stipends.

"We don't want stipends, we want salaries" said an unnamed woman in a speech to the crowd of about 200 people.

"The R10 increase in the child support grant is useless. Zuma made a commitment to bail out companies and our tax money goes to Fifa but there is nothing to bail out the poor mothers, who are in distress" said Mercia Andrews of the Trust for Community Outreach and Education.

Vainola Makan of the New Women's Movement said "job opportunities" are not enough.

"Zuma has allocated R6 billion to assist companies in distress. Why can similar resources not be put aside to get real jobs in the public sector?" Makan asked.