‘Plough funds into farming’

DESPITE Gijima’s often fraught relationship with the government companies it supplied, Robert Gumede says he remains a “proud ANC member and I’m proud of being a donor to the party”.

Gumede made headlines in 2008 when he donated R10-million to the ANC at a fundraising party for Jacob Zuma and scored a R10-million deal to install computers at the ANC’s parliamentary office two months later.

However, he has been quick to donate cash to rival parties, too, including the DA.

Now, as Gumede licks the wounds inflicted by Gijima’s fall from grace, the outspoken businessman has some advice for Zuma’s administration.

The government has taken the “right steps investing in infrastructure”, but it ought to invest more in public works “so that we can create more jobs for our people”, he says.

“If we really want to change the landscape of the economy, [we should] have a Marshall Plan around food security. We create commercial farmers . . . I can tell you that farming can create hundreds of thousands of jobs,” he says.

The focus should be on allowing small-scale farmers to operate on a commercial basis, and providing them with the markets for their produce.

“The other sector that can really help us is the tourism sector, which can also create lots of jobs,” he says, adding that tourism also brings foreign currency into the country.