By Mzukona Mantshontsho
At the moment in South Africa, business confidence is deeply depressed, MAINLY BECAUSE OF ESKOM and power generation.
This is partly because of the economy struggling to grow, but largely because business sees little actual progress in the National Development Plan (NDP) implementation and is therefore concerned over the ability of the economy to move onto a higher structural growth path over the medium term.
These concerns are aggravated by issues like corruption, patronage, concerns around state capture and more lately, even mounting concerns over social and political stability.
There is a plan for South Africa to come out of her troubles, raising the growth potential of the economy requires a speedy implementation of the NDP and close cooperation between governments, business, labour and civil society around the common vision of the NDP.
It remains of critical importance that Government doesn’t lose sight of the urgent need to address the economic challenges that our country is currently facing by increasing the focus on the growth enhancing reforms required to move the country forward.
Fundamentally, Government needs to relook at what is at stake, which is still the best interest of the people – eradicating poverty, reducing unemployment and working on inequality should always be their primary focus.
Every time new leadership is introduced, it allows for new enthusiasm, innovations, ideas and a change of mindset. Observing the politics, emotions and theatrics at play every time there is a change in leadership; people react either with enthusiasm or strong resistance.
Our reaction to new leadership is based on the reputation of the existing leadership, combined with expectations and hopes of improvement from the new one.
Either way, the introduction of new leadership brings with it a weird mixture of uncertainty, combined with hope and excitement.
If we do not like our leaders we must banish them,
If we do not like our government, we must fight to change it.
If we do not like the way things are going, we must speak out and stop it.
Building a great South Africa is the job of each one of us. We can never entrust that to just a few people seated in the comfortable seats of our BURNT parliament – but we can direct them.
