“This is not aimed at the elections; this is aimed at cranking the economy into life.”
These are the words of President Cyril Ramaphosa in an interview with Business Times, after he announced the government stimulus package.
It seems Ramaphosa has found his inspirational voice again, since that Thuma mina speech which lit up SA earlier this year.
His words are yet to be tested, but it is refreshing to hear our head of state put the economy – the wellbeing of this country – ahead of party political considerations.
I am sure he has the backing of most South Africans, from all backgrounds.
While it is obvious that the power of the spoken word is in its implementation, it is encouraging to see, once again, a head of state who at least takes the economy seriously.
Gone are the days when a senior politician like Nomvula Mokhonyane can simply say aliwe sizolicosha, (“let it fall, we will pick it up,)” in reference to the falling value of the rand.
A certain sense of seriousness, of purpose, has seemingly taken over. To some extent, it makes us feel, we too as citizens, are being taken seriously.
Also, Ramaphosa is taking a remarkable departure from the usual propaganda of the ANC, especially so close to an election. Ramaphosa said this of government’s abilities: “Overall, we are not good at creating jobs. “We should be at the top of our game when it comes to being an enabler and being a catalyst.”
It’s unbelievable that these words come from the mouth of a sitting ANC president.
One is left puzzled as to whether the ANC has finally seen the light, or whether this is just Ramaphosa being a statesman, being our president.
One has to ask, though, whether this also may simply be election speak.
Whatever the case, it is a fresh take from that tired and old mantra, “the government will create jobs”, which is usually shouted out during most election campaigns.
Maybe, if Ramaphosa takes hold of the implementation side of these refreshing views and delivers on the expectations he has raised, we will see an economic turnaround.
Maybe if the government finally concentrates on what it is good at, which is to enable, co-ordinate and catalyse, we can see the dawn of a new economic era for our nation.
But perhaps even more important about this stimulus package, and Ramaphosa’s views and plans, is that the economy of the country takes centre stage again.
The past decade has been an endless orgy of scandal, impropriety and corruption. This sort of sustained dominance of scandal and corruption has wreaked havoc in the collective psyche of our nation.
It has established a terrible picture of what governance, leadership and even politics is all about. In so doing, the image of leadership – not just of the country, but leadership as an institution and a pillar of society – has suffered immensely.
With that came an erosion of all the values that we have, in our development as a society, associated with leadership: service and excellence.
Whilst economics is usually the preserve of the few who have studied it, there must be sufficient economic know-how among ordinary South Africans for them to make informed decisions.
This is the most meaningful type of empowerment. It would be wise of Ramaphosa, or subsequent leaders, to encourage the dissemination of up-to-date economic education to South Africans.
This will enable citizens to better understand how the winding cogs of the South African economy fit into each other. It would also allow the government to operate in an atmosphere of support from citizens who are not easily hoodwinked by populist narratives of “white monopoly capital”, for instance.
It would facilitate an atmosphere where South Africans take responsibility for their own lives without finding fault elsewhere.
This is important for us because it turns ordinary people from blame finders into solution creators. This is the true meaning of empowerment.
If economics remains the preserve of the rich, we doom not only the future of the ordinary person, but of us all.
If we hope to turn SA around, we must keep the economy of this country at the centre of our concerns. However, let us make it a point that all South Africans participate meaningfully in the economic turnaround we have started. Lead Ramaphosa, lead!..