We’re in good hands

IT IS amazing how quickly things change and how some stubbornly remain the same. Not long ago South Africans from all walks of life were having nightmares about calamities and syndromes unknown to our democracy.

Junk status, recession, state capture and other terror-inducing terms had become part of everyday language. Things were falling apart and a full economic, social and political cataclysm loomed. Then came the ANC’S Nasrec conference and a new dawn, but much rebuilding lay before the new leadership.

While corruption, poverty, unemployment, inequality and the land issue are still with us, it’s safe to say there is renewed hope and the urgent matters now seem more manageable under the leadership of President Cyril Ramaphosa.

All he needs is time, courage and support from all quarters.

The two main events of this week involving the president again illustrated South Africa is in good hands.

He is alert to both long-term and pressing matters.

Ramaphosa started the week on a promising note, dispatching his “investment lions”, the four envoys tasked with marketing South Africa and building an ambitious book of R1.2 trillion in new foreign investment. These included household names in business and public finance, such as respected former finance minister Trevor Manuel.

Ramaphosa had to cut short his UK visit and return home to put out fires in the North West.

As he explained, it was important to plan for the future and set a target for the investment South Africa needs to attract. Whether the ambitious target is attainable in the given five years remains to be seen, but he must be commended for setting out on this bold undertaking, which will boost confidence in our economy.

An accomplished businessman, Ramaphosa probably knows it is not always the best companies or their services and products that excel in the market but those that are marketed best. So this is what South Africa needs.

Already pledges have been made and positive feedback has resulted, with the investment summit planned for later this year now more likely to yield returns.

To say the crises within the ANC run deep would be an understatement. We can only hope Ramaphosa and the leaders around him will put South Africa first in their decision-making on the North West and its premier, Supra Mahumapelo. Potential investors will want to see what unfolds in the “platinum province”.