On the eve of the annual State of the Nation Address (SONA) TLU SA does not expect President Cyril Ramaphosa to utter anything other than the usual rhetoric of a better life for all.
“What is going to make this address different from any of the previous addresses the past few years?” asks Mr. Louis Meintjes, President of TLU SA. “Every year, even under Zuma, we hear the same old promises and plans which will be implemented to better the lives of South Africans. But as long as these plans are counter-productive, there is very little chance of a better South Africa.
“This is the ideal opportunity for Pres. Ramaphosa to show his statesmanship and move away from the struggle mentality where blame shifting is at the core of everything,” he says. “It is time for the president to act responsibly and use the economy instead of the survival of the ANC as the measure for a better future.
“The country should not be in anticipation of the address, but rather of the applicability of the content of the speech and if that which will be to the benefit of the country, will be implemented.”
TLU SA specifically wants workable and sustainable plans and actions for the following, to be announced:
- An official acknowledgment that the crime situation in the country, specifically farm attacks and murders, are out of control;
- The compilation and implementation of a sustainable and effective security strategy to curb crime;
- Strict and continuous conduct against corruption at all levels;
- The revision of labour laws which causes job losses instead of employment;
- Well thought out, clear and consistent statements and plans over policies which could influence foreign investment;
- The suspension of any further plans to amend Article 25 of the Constitution (concerning land expropriation without compensation) in the direction of socialism and communism; and
- The protection and support of commercial farmers who are the anchor and base of the economy and food security.
“Economic growth is the one outcome any president of a country hoping to create a good future for the country, should strive for,” says Meintjes. “Every policy, stance and statement should be tested against its potential influence on economic growth.
“That can only happen in an environment where private ownership and the free market is protected. Pres. Ramaphosa should pledge himself and his party to such a system and reject the current direction clearly aimed at socialism and communism.”
TLU SA will, as always, keep an eye on the markets during the SONA. It is the best and fastest measure to indicate trust in the ANC and the president.
Issued by: TLU SA
Date: 19 June 2019
Enquiries: Mr Louis Meintjes, President TLU SA,
Cell.: 082 461 7262
Mr Henk van de Graaf, Chairperson TLU SA Property Rights Committee,
Cell.: 076 563 3800
