Business Unity South Africa:
trajectory demands that the country fundamentally changes its game plan and places small business at the centre stage in the fight against poverty, inequality and unemployment.
We therefore take comfort to the President’s commitment to unlock opportunities for new economic entrants by, among other interventions, creating a more level playing field.
Besides the President’s resolve to enact the Competitions Amendment Bill, we believe that the transformation of the structure of the South African economy and the size and configuration of the state is long overdue.
This brings the institutional and governance structure of our stateowned enterprises clearly under the spotlight.
The President’s resolve to build a capable, ethical and streamlined state across all spheres of government and the economy will ensure a better, more consolidated and more co-ordinated effort to support growth in our country. State owned entities should be the centre of our economic and developmental trajectory.
We wholeheartedly embrace the President’s recognition of the scale of Eskom’s crisis and the commitment to immediately embark on a process of establishing three separate entities – Generation, Transmission and Distribution – under Eskom Holdings. We agree that this will ensure that we isolate cost and give responsibility to each appropriate entity.
It is indeed imperative that we undertake these measures without delay to stabilise Eskom’s finances, ensure the security of electricity supply, and establish the basis for longterm sustainability. In responding to this challenge, we stand ready as business to jointly work out the details of a just transition at Eskom that will address the needs of all those who may be affected.
It is time to give practical effect to our collective vision of accelerated, inclusive and sustainable growth. The President has once again sent a call to the government and business to vigorously tackle unnecessary inhibitors to shared prosperity and social solidarity, including the scourge of corruption.
As business, we wish to respond to the President’s call by committing to continue to play our part in building a durable social compact for fundamental social and economic transformation. BUSINESS Unity South Africa (Busa) agrees with the emphasis on economic growth, the pressing need to create jobs and prioritising skills and education, as outlined in President Cyril Ramaphosa’s Sona.
“We also appreciate the President’s establishment of a commission on the 4th Industrial Revolution,” said Busa President Sipho Pityana. Busa particularly commends the President’s commitment to deal with corruption, as well as the revelations coming out of the Zondo Commission of Inquiry.
In this regard, the new law enforcement unit will, in time, go a long way in combating corruption and put an end to looting.
Busa concurs with the urgent need to implement an effective turnaround strategy at Eskom. The organisation also welcomes the general thrust of policies mapped out both in terms of social and macro-economic initiatives, which come in tandem with programmes of work designed to give effect to the Sona.
The speech is unequivocal in sketching South Africa’s national priorities