Riyaz Patel
South Africa is in a political and economic stalemate underpinned by uncertainty over which direction the country must take, ANC veteran Ben Turok told a social justice forum in Stellenbosch Thursday.
Turok was joined by former president FW de Klerk, Business Leadership South Africa CEO Busisiwe Mavuso, JSE CEO Nicky Newton-King, former statistician-general Dr Pali Lehohla, and former Public Protector Thuli Madonsela, with all in agreement that there seems to be an impasse as to how to get South Africa out of its current political and economic malaise.
The summit “aims to unpack the nature of social justice in South Africa, its various dimensions, the pathways available to address social injustice and to leverage opportunities presented by the Sustainable Development Goals, National Development Plan and Constitution.”
Turok said: “We do not know which direction the country is taking,” and that the social justice plan, which will be adopted at the end of the summit, would not work in the current climate of uncertainty.
Mavuso concurred, adding that “sideshows” such as the stand-off between Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane and President Cyril Ramaphosa, were impacting negatively on the national psyche amid a crisis in policy direction.
“We don’t have to like the policy, we just need to know what it is,” Mavuso told delegates.
“Once we know what the direction is, we can know what we need to work on to achieve economic growth… The window of opportunity for South Africa is closing for investment,” Mavuso added.
The unease in Stellenbosch came as President Ramaphosa wrapped up a two-day working visit in Yokohama, Japan, where a punishing schedule saw him shuttle between venues and audiences in an attempt to woo Japanese investors to South Africa, while simultaneously championing the interests of Africa.
But, despite Ramaphosa’s charm offensive, Mavuso, pointed out that the emergence of other African countries has resulted in South Africa conceding its attraction as the favoured African investment destination it once was.
Minister in the Presidency, Jackson Mthembu said “Our common understanding that there are persistent challenges that demand our collective wisdom is a reassuring starting point towards finding lasting solutions to deficiencies in social justice and to strengthen our democracy.”
There is “self-mutilation” happening, Mavuso lamented.
