Finance Minister Malusi Gigaba yesterday said black people should not be apologetic about seeking economic emancipation, and Afrikaners were relentless in pursuing their economic interests when they were at the helm.
He said it was time the government introduced a radical socio-economic transformation programme so that they could stop explaining why black people were not being empowered in Africa.
He was speaking at a Progressive Youth in Business (PYB) business breakfast at the East London Gold Club yesterday.
Gigaba said the government had not been able to resolve black economic exclusion. Black people had to see the benefit of having the current government in place, he said.
“The public procurement process remains vital to promote radical socio-economic transformation.
“The government must continue to create conditions using procurement leverage to nurture black businesses,” Gigaba said.
The government could have changed the face of manufacturing in the country if it had used the fleet locomotive procurement at Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) and Transnet to advance black businesses, he added.
“We did not achieve what we could have achieved for black people out of it. We need to ensure our procurement policies must be aimed at creating black entrepreneurs.
“We must not be apologetic about it. If there is anything to learn from the Afrikaners, it is how to be relentless in pursuing the economic interests of our people,” he said.
Gigaba said people did not try enough to understand the radical socio-economic transformation programme.
He said all that had been done so far, including at the ANC conference in December, was to give a high school definition of the programme.
“We need to go deeper. I want to put it to you if we don’t go deeper, we will look back after 10 years and ask ourselves ‘where did we go wrong’,” he said.
Gigaba said at the heart of the radical socio-economic transformation was the changing of the structures of the economy, the systems and institutions.
He said there was no way of achieving a national democratic society on the basis of the apartheid economic structure.
“The way the apartheid economic structure was designed was to deprive black people of skills and will not make SA prosperous.
“The majority of SA, black people, will not be uplifted,” he said.
Turning his attention to corruption, Gigaba said it was daunting that businesspeople sometimes had to pay bribes and kickbacks to get government jobs.
“So for me to continue getting business this person must remain a leader. I must fund his campaigns but when one gets tired then they fund their own campaigns to be leaders. Then we have a very corrupt political environment,” he said.
The finance minister said government and business must make sure the systems of government are rid of corruption and those caught should be punished.
Meanwhile, provincial treasury MEC Sakhumzi Somyo said government only had 35% of the R74-billion budget to spend on business as 65% went towards Bhisho’s salary bill.
He urged business to partner with the government to create employment, as the latter could not achieve goals alone.
PYB provincial chairwoman Buhle Tonise said the youth possess the skills, energy and expertise to grow and develop the economy.
She said the country was sitting on a ticking time bomb of unrest if the majority, the youth, was neglected.
“This country has a handful of established entrepreneurs who must make way for the radical socio-economic transformation programme so that the rest can benefit.
“More time and effort should be invested in youth for sustainable growth,” she said.
ANC provincial treasurer Babalo Madikizela said the party has identified four key priorities to place the economy on the right trajectory, which are to deepen transformation, consolidate gains of democracy, fight corruption and build unity. — zolilem@tisoblackstar.co.za
Gigaba pushes for economic emancipation
He said it was time the government introduced a radical socio-economic transformation programme so that they could stop explaining why black people were not being empowered in Africa.
He was speaking at a Progressive Youth in Business (PYB) business breakfast at the East London Gold Club yesterday.
Gigaba said the government had not been able to resolve black economic exclusion. Black people had to see the benefit of having the current government in place, he said.
“The public procurement process remains vital to promote radical socio-economic transformation.
“The government must continue to create conditions using procurement leverage to nurture black businesses,” Gigaba said.
The government could have changed the face of manufacturing in the country if it had used the fleet locomotive procurement at Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) and Transnet to advance black businesses, he added.
“We did not achieve what we could have achieved for black people out of it. We need to ensure our procurement policies must be aimed at creating black entrepreneurs.
“We must not be apologetic about it. If there is anything to learn from the Afrikaners, it is how to be relentless in pursuing the economic interests of our people,” he said.
Gigaba said people did not try enough to understand the radical socio-economic transformation programme.
He said all that had been done so far, including at the ANC conference in December, was to give a high school definition of the programme.
“We need to go deeper. I want to put it to you if we don’t go deeper, we will look back after 10 years and ask ourselves ‘where did we go wrong’,” he said.
Gigaba said at the heart of the radical socio-economic transformation was the changing of the structures of the economy, the systems and institutions.
He said there was no way of achieving a national democratic society on the basis of the apartheid economic structure.
“The way the apartheid economic structure was designed was to deprive black people of skills and will not make SA prosperous.
“The majority of SA, black people, will not be uplifted,” he said.
Turning his attention to corruption, Gigaba said it was daunting that businesspeople sometimes had to pay bribes and kickbacks to get government jobs.
“So for me to continue getting business this person must remain a leader. I must fund his campaigns but when one gets tired then they fund their own campaigns to be leaders. Then we have a very corrupt political environment,” he said.
The finance minister said government and business must make sure the systems of government are rid of corruption and those caught should be punished.
Meanwhile, provincial treasury MEC Sakhumzi Somyo said government only had 35% of the R74-billion budget to spend on business as 65% went towards Bhisho’s salary bill.
He urged business to partner with the government to create employment, as the latter could not achieve goals alone.
PYB provincial chairwoman Buhle Tonise said the youth possess the skills, energy and expertise to grow and develop the economy.
She said the country was sitting on a ticking time bomb of unrest if the majority, the youth, was neglected.
“This country has a handful of established entrepreneurs who must make way for the radical socio-economic transformation programme so that the rest can benefit.
“More time and effort should be invested in youth for sustainable growth,” she said.
ANC provincial treasurer Babalo Madikizela said the party has identified four key priorities to place the economy on the right trajectory, which are to deepen transformation, consolidate gains of democracy, fight corruption and build unity. — zolilem@tisoblackstar.co.za
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