Drought relief; jobs should be top SONA priorities
Tonight President Jacob Zuma will deliver his State of Nation address during a challenging period in our country’s economy. We hope the President will demonstrate his firm commitment to job creation and economic growth.
It is key that we build a society that is able to offer opportunities to its citizens. This is the surest way out of poverty. There are several ingredients which we must get right to make opportunity possible. The first is skills.
To this end, we hope to see significant investment in our schools and our Technical Vocational Education and Training colleges. We especially need to focus on initiatives to boost artisanship, with several mega-projects, such as the Saldanha Bay Industrial Development Zone, reliant on these skills.
We also need to create the right environment for businesses to thrive. In the Western Cape, we have selected cutting red tape as a key priority.
It is our hope that the President announces that the national government will be implementing Regulatory Impact Assessments on draft legislation before it is passed, as previously promised. In order to encourage local and foreign investment, we need stable, and business-friendly legislation.
If RIA’s were in effect, laws such as the visa regulations, the Minerals Petroleum Resources Development Bill and the Promotion and Protection of Investment Bill would have been stopped before they could cause economic harm.
Along with cutting red tape, achieving energy security is another one of our focus areas.
We have put this game-changer in place to find solutions to the negative impact of load shedding on our economy. Ultimately, this mandate falls with the national government, which must announce clear steps to address the energy crisis it has caused.
In the agriculture sector, we know that regions across the country are experiencing drought. This is taking a toll on the residents and economies of those towns affected. Food price inflation will hit our poorest households hard. The Western Cape Department of Agriculture has requested R88 million from the National Government in drought support.
The R88 million in based on an estimate that 8 385 large stock units in the West Coast and Central Karoo districts need supplementary fodder for five months. The objective of this support is to assist stock farmers to maintain their stock nucleus (genetic material) which will allow them to rebuild their herds after the drought.
We trust the President will address the above issues in his address to the nation tonight.
For media queries, kindly contact:
Bronwynne Jooste
Spokesperson: Alan Winde, MEC of Economic Opportunities
Tel: 021 483 3550
Cell: 060 970 4301
Email: bronwynne.jooste@westerncape.gov.za
Twitter: @bronwynnejooste
