President Cyril Ramaphosa says 2019 should be the last year that South Africa is described as a country ripped apart by corruption. He was reacting to a report by Transparency International that says SA ranked amongst the world’s most corrupt countries.
Ramaphosa addressed delegates at the Business Economic Indaba in Midrand, Johannesburg.
“The initiatives that we have embarked upon, putting our SOEs right, dealing with corruption issues and some of you keep saying, ‘Oh, but you know, we are not really seeing this and this,’ and I say all in good time. We’ve put in place a mechanism that is ferreting out all the horrible things that have been happening. I believe that a report has just come out by Transparency International that says that SA is one of the most corrupt countries in the world. This should now be the last time that South Africa is described like that. This should be the last time.”
Business and government leaders gathered at the Indaba agreed that both the private and public sector need a social contract which commits them to a joint social responsibility with regards to the country’s economy. They further agreed that inequality is an economic risk to both sectors and that it would take a collaborative effort to pull South Africans out of poverty.
Finance Minister Tito Mboweni says policy certainty is central to private sector investment. He says government needs to ensure certainty to allow economic agents to contribute towards growth.
Mboweni was participating in a panel discussion at the Indaba.
“Policy certainty is important in the sense that it sends a specific message to the economic agents in the country about whether what’s being done is feasible or not is a different matter; certainty about inflation targeting; certainty about the continued support for the auto industry programme; certainty about the approach to agriculture.”
President of Business Unity South Africa, Sipho Pityana says conversations between business and government should go beyond discussing business contracts, by also addressing social contracts. He says business must define itself as a reliable partner in delivering economic justice.
“We must strive to equip our people with the means to earn a decent living. What is going to be our contribution? We must ask ourselves as business on this score. Beyond offering bursaries and training support, we must develop pathways for graduates and those who come from our training programmes to gain experience in our respective businesses.”
Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Zweli Mkhize says big business needs to do more to support the township economy.
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The 2018 Corruption Perceptions Index is out now! 180 countries ranked on perceived levels of public sector corruption – see all the results here! #CPI2018 https://t.co/1iBmn9ZwKB pic.twitter.com/AG9fn0r51O
— Transparency International UK (@TransparencyUK) January 29, 2019
