President moet kommersiële sektor nou op groot skaal betrek | President must involve commercial sector on a large scale

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9 Februarie 2021

President Ramaphosa sal die rol van die kommersiële sektor baie duidelik moet uitstippel in sy Staatsrede hierdie week. Die faktore wat dié sektor se bydrae tot die ekonomie en die land se vooruitgang in die breë ondermyn, moet ook belig en aangespreek word.

So maan Christo van der Rheede, uitvoerende direkteur van Agri SA.

“In sy toespraak verlede jaar, het die president onder meer genoem dat die land ernstige probleme in die gesig staar. Ons ekonomie groei al vir ‘n dekade nie sinvol nie,” sê Van der Rheede. “Werkloosheid neem toe. Aanhoudende energietekorte ontwrig besighede en mense se lewens. Verskeie staatsondernemings (SOE’s) is in nood en Suid-Afrika se openbare finansies is onder ernstige druk.”

Van die oplossings soos voorgehou in sy vorige toespraak, fokus onder meer op die bou van ’n bekwame staat, om die ekonomie te herstel deur op kritieke areas en op die regte grondbeginsels van groei en op uitnemendheid in beplanning en uitvoering deur die regering te fokus. “Die vraag bly of daar vordering gemaak is in dié verband. Die antwoord is ja, daar is suksesse, maar ook nee. Daar is areas waar daar geen vordering gemaak is nie.”

Volgens Agri SA sluit van die suksesse in die vordering wat gemaak is met die geïntegreerde hulpbronplan en onder meer investering in die ekonomie deur internasionale maatskappye soos Ford, wat R15,8 miljard gaan belê. PepsiCo, wat vroeër vanjaar Pioneer Foods gekoop het, gaan R5,5 miljard belê. Telkom gaan R8 miljard belê om infrastruktuur regoor die land uit te brei. Google het bevestig dat hy R2,2 miljard gaan bestee om sy optiese internetverbindings regoor Suid-Afrika uit te brei.

“Dit is goeie nuus en ’n bevestiging dat die president daarin slaag om internasionale beleggings na Suid-Afrika lok,” verseker Van der Rheede.

Hy meen dat ’n groter geleentheid daarin lê om gehoor te gee aan die noodkreet van die kommersiële sektor om die faktore wat grootskaalse plaaslike belegging en betrokkenheid by die vestiging van kommersiële en ontwikkelingsprojekte ontmoedig, aan te spreek. “Van die faktore behels politieke stabiliteit, beleidsekerheid, bekostigbaarheid en buigsaamheid van arbeidsmag, veiligheid en sekuriteit, eiendomsreg, mededingendheid van die ekonomie, kwaliteit van infrastruktuur en die staat se diensleweringsvermoë.”

Agri SA waarsku teen die onsekerheid wat deur die Onteieningswetsontwerp en voorgestelde verandering aan Artikel 25 van die Grondwet veroorsaak word. Ekonomiese teorie en geskiedenis dui daarop dat sekerheid oor eiendomreg ‘n belangrike rol speel om beleggings te lok. Dit lei weer tot ekonomiese groei en wydverspreide welvaart op lang termyn. Dit geld ook vir ander sektore. Suid-Afrika het die afgelope twee dekades die twyfelagtige reputasie verwerf dat, ten spyte daarvan dat dit ryk is aan minerale bronne, die land nie in staat is om voordeel te trek uit stygende pryse van kommoditeite nie.

Suid-Afrika is sy eie grootste vyand in dié verband, sê Van der Rheede. “Slegs ‘n daadwerklike aksie om beleids- en reguleringsekerheid in die breë te herstel en ’n massiewe industrialiseringspoging sal Suid-Afrika in staat stel om armoede uit te wis en volhoubare ontwikkeling te bewerkstellig.”

Verslae deur die Ouditeur-Generaal oor die implementering van Covid-19-inisiatiewe deur die staat, die finansiële stand van verskeie staatsondernemings en verbandhoudende projekte, skets ’n onstellende prentjie van gebrekkige kontrole, wanbestuur, korrupsie en swak óf nie-uitvoering van projekte. In dié verband sal die president omvattende en praktiese maatreëls moet afdwing om die onaanvaarbare hoë vlakke van onreëlmatighede, gebrekkige kontrole en oorsig, nie-nakoming van voorskrifte en korrupsie stop te sit en amptenare tot verantwoording te roep. Betrek dus die kommersiële sektor om self Covid-19 entstowwe ook aan te koop, versprei en toe te dien. Die staat het nie voldoende kapasiteit om dit suksesvol uit te rol nie.

Agri SA is van mening dat die president nou weer ʼn geleentheid het om die kommersiële sektor op groot skaal te betrek om Suid-Afrika op ’n pad van volhoubare ekonomiese groei, werkskepping en ontwikkeling te plaas. “Dit geld vir alle terreine van die samelewing, maar dit is in die hande van die president om die boublokke vir so ’n vennootskap stewig te vestig. Terselfdertyd moet ’n omgewing geskep word waarin die kommersiële sektor nie deur allerlei faktore aan bande gelê word nie, maar waarin dit gedy om Suid-Afrika en al sy mense tot diens te wees.”

Navrae:

Christo van der Rheede

Agri SA, Uitvoerende direkteur

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9 February 2021

President Ramaphosa will have to spell out the role of the commercial sector very clearly in his State-of-the-Nation address this week. He should also highlight the factors that undermine this sector’s contribution to the economy and the country’s progress in general.

This is the view of Christo van der Rheede, executive director of Agri SA.

“In his address last year, the president mentioned, among other things, that the country was facing serious problems. There has been no meaningful growth in the economy over the past decade,” says Van der Rheede. “Unemployment is growing. Continuous power shortages have disrupted businesses and people’s lives. Various state-owned enterprises (SOEs) are in trouble and South Africa’s public finances are under serious pressure.”

Some of the solutions as presented in his previous address focus, among others, on building a competent state, restoring the economy by focussing on critical areas and the right basic principles of growth and on excellence in planning and implementation by government. “The question remains whether any progress has been made in this regard. The answer is yes, there have been successes, but also no – there are areas where no progress has been made.”

According to Agri SA successes include progress made with the integrated resources plan and, among others, investment in the economy by international companies such as Ford, which intends to invest R14,8 billion. PepsiCo, which earlier this year bought Pioneer Foods, will invest R5,5 billion, while Telkom intends to invest R8 billion in infrastructure throughout the country. Google has confirmed that they will spend R2,2 billion to expand their optic internet connections across South Africa.

“This is good news and serves as confirmation that the president has succeeded in attracting international investment to South Africa,” says Van der Rheede.

He adds that there is an even bigger opportunity – that is, to heed the call of the commercial sector to address the factors that discourage large-scale local investment and involvement in the roll-out of commercial and development projects. “These factors include political stability, policy certainty, affordability and labour flexibility, as well as safety and security, property rights, competitiveness, and the state’s capacity to deliver services.”

Agri SA also warns against the uncertainty caused by the Expropriation Bill and proposed amendment of section 25 of the Constitution. Economic theory and history confirm that certainty in terms of property rights plays an important role in attracting investment, which in turn leads to economic growth and widespread prosperity in the long term. This also applies to other sectors. South Africa has over the past two decades developed a dubious reputation where, despite being rich in mineral resources, it is unable to benefit from rising commodity prices.

South Africa is its own worst enemy in this regard, says Van der Rheede. “Concerted action to restore policy and governance certainty in general, as well as a massive industrialisation effort, is urgently needed to eradicate poverty and facilitate sustainable development.”

The Auditor-General’s reports on the roll-out of Covid-19 initiatives by the state, the financial position of various SOEs and related projects, sketch a dismal picture of a lack of control, of mismanagement and corruption, as well as poor or non-existent implementation of projects. In this regard, the president will have to enforce comprehensive and practical measures to curb corruption and the unacceptable level of irregularities, address the lack of control and oversight, and non-compliance with regulations, and to hold officials accountable. Involve the commercial sector to also buy, distribute and administer Covid-19 vaccines. The state does not have sufficient capacity to roll it out successfully.

Agri SA believes that the president now again has an opportunity to involve the commercial sector on a large scale to drive sustainable economic growth, job creation and development. “This applies to all spheres of society, but the ball is in the president’s court to lay a firm foundation for such a partnership – to create an environment where the commercial sector is not hampered by all kinds of constraints, but can flourish and be of service to South Africa and all its people.”

Enquiries:

Christo van der Rheede

Agri SA Executive Director