Let’s help Ramaphosa create jobs

WE should do our best to assist President Cyril Ramaphosa to create jobs and procure investors to our country.

Amazon is creating about 200 000 jobs in America. They could have been invited to South Africa to set up their headquarters for Africa. Bringing a company like Amazon takes the country to a whole other level in terms of job creation and wealth development. Amazon and other high tech companies would be overwhelmingly popular with our country.

The eThekwini Municipality could begin with the building of a metro train line between King Shaka International Airport to the beachfront. More than 1 000 jobs could be created for its construction and 200 permanent jobs when completed. In the field of agriculture there are many, many possibilities. One does not need large farms to be productive. The Netherlands is a small country but one of the largest exporters of agricultural produce in the world.

Both Britain and the Netherlands have been in our country for 400 years. They could join us in the field of developing our industries and infrastructure and agriculture.

Both the Dutch and British prime ministers should be invited to our country to attend meetings held by our government in the development of our infrastructure and other fields too.

But getting Julius Malema to stop the gimmicks and focus on the many challenges facing us is not likely to be easy.

You have to fight for independence and self-reliance all the time. It is worth reminding our people that many want a good education for their children, good health care and jobs. We can do this if we work together and combine our resources. We need a reform programme that helps rejuvenate the economy and triggers a surge in investment.

We should remember that only fools refuse to change their minds.

Clement Attlee, the former British prime minister, said: “Life without liberty is not worth living. Let us go forward and win that liberty and establish it on the sure foundation of social justice.”

By looting and stealing public money is not going to promote social justice. One potential boost could come through an infrastructure package, an initiative that would enjoy wide support in our country.

But most of our political parties (must) agree on how to fund it. We cannot meet the growing demand for skills with home grown talents alone.

The tourist sector is labour intensive and can only flourish if we eradicate crime. Criminals are holding us as hostage. The government must deal with this problem.

Most foreign tourists I meet also mention crime as a hindrance.

A student from Ghana studying in Europe, who wants to do his post-graduate studies in South Africa, asked me about the dangers of crime.

Those who emerge as successful leaders are not those with the best values but those who cohere with the sources of human motivation.

We should not have leaders who turn their attention to hollow solutions or pulled by leaders who talk a big game and hold weak records.

SEARS APPALSAMY Netherlands