Mantashe calls on Rob Hersov to contribute in solving country’s challenges

Mineral Resources Minister Gwede Mantashe says he will meet with Rob Hersov, urging him to contribute towards finding answers to challenges facing the country.

The businessman has been in the news for calling government leadership ‘useless’.

Mantashe was speaking at the media briefing on Thursday to give a progress report on the Economic Sectors, Investment, Employment and Infrastructure Development Cluster in Pretoria.

The Economic Recovery document is 2 years old and the government is convinced the programme is making strides toward achieving economic recovery, job creation and growth.

Progress on economic recovery plan:

Ministers in the Economic Reconstruction and Recovery Cluster delivered a progress report on the plan aimed to help unlock investment and resuscitate the country’s ailing economy.

Human Settlements Minister, Mmamoloko Kubayi says, “The South African economy has the potential to grow beyond 2,5% and the efforts around the economic recovery are for us to push it beyond that level so that we can see South Africans able to work, businesses flourishing and sectors growing. Phase 1 of the ERRP was to serve distressed households, firm massive healthcare response was achieved.”

The country is experiencing unprecedented levels of unemployment. The Human Settlement Minister also details some interventions to support economic growth and job creation.

“On public employment programme, this is one area where we’ve been able to see cushioning the country doing very well, assisting and bringing in more younger people in the area. The majority of people employed under this programme are young and women at a time when we had restrictions, and lockdowns with the majority of people finding themselves without any economic activities. If you look at teacher assistance, the majority were able to benefit and in agriculture majority of them were able to find cushioning as part of the public employment programme.”

Electricity supply

The country continues to grapple with electricity supply constraints resulting in rolling blackouts that negatively affected economic activity. Mantashe says a lot of work is being done on the energy front.

“The plan announced by the president is the most effective plan because it puts emphasis on the right issue. Maintenance and servicing of the units that are already in the system but not giving us energy. Base load energy is the bigger crisis in the overall energy crisis and we must work on it.”

Mantashe also calls on those criticising the work of government to contribute toward the success of the country’s economic reform.

“If not giving him a stake in ACSA is equal to useless ministers, then so be it. Because we cannot give ACSA to him. We must confront the business to work with us rather than against us because if we work with business, we will succeed and if not then we both won’t succeed.”

The Minister has agreed to meet with the controversial businessman Rob Hersov on the issues he’s raised when he returns to South Africa.

According to media reports the businessman wants to buy six regional airports owned by the government – but with no luck.

The cluster says as the work continues, it calls on social partners to strengthen their partnership and coordinate their efforts to ensure economic recovery is unhindered.

The ministers are also looking to the energy crisis committee and the Justice, Crime Prevention and Security Cluster to ensure the security strategies to combat corruption, theft and the vandalisation of infrastructure