Fighting
the good
fight
E
ven before the announcement of
his new executive on 29 May,
President Cyril Ramaphosa
promised to reduce the size of
the Cabinet, and he has. It has shrunk by
eight ministers and one deputy minister.
Changes include the joining of several
departments, and, due to the ‘enormity
of the workload’, some now boast
two deputy ministers. According to
Africa Check, a non-profit fact checking
organisation that promotes accuracy in
public debate and the media in Africa,
Ramaphosa has saved South Africa
about R19-million.
The most surprising appointment
to the new cabinet was Patricia de
Lille as Minister of Public Works and
Infrastructure (the ‘infrastructure’ is
a new addition). Public Works is a
department that has been plagued
with corruption and the appointment of
someone outside of the ANC ranks with
a history of corruption-busting hailing
back to the arms deal expose, might be
a smart move on Ramaphosa's part.
In a statement released shortly after
the announcement, De Lille said, "I
have fought for justice in our country
for more than 40 years and have no
plans to give up fighting. I pledge to
continue the struggle for dignity and
fairness for all South Africans," adding,
"I will continue to lead Good and to
fight for a responsible, accountable and
compassionate government."
The president warned appointees
that they will all be signing performance
agreements, which "…will be
closely monitored against specific
outcomes. Where implementation is
unsatisfactory, action will be taken,"
Ramaphosa warned.
The expectations of South African
people have never been greater, he
said. For the first time half of the
ministers are women, and a significant
number of young people have been
included. So, with the injection of some
young blood, we can hold thumbs and
hope for the best.
Meanwhile, FTI Consulting has
released a new report focusing on
‘the future of South Africa’ – exploring
emerging trends in the South African
economic and business landscape. It is
based on an independent assessment
of the state of the South African
economy and engagements with South
COMMENT
Tarren Bolton
[email protected]
Africa’s leading business leaders for
their perspectives.
The report demonstrates that there
is a gut feeling among many businesses
that the stakes are high, yet, in true
South African spirit, there remains a
sense of determined optimism. Finding
solutions to South Africa’s challenges
will require compromise and a meeting
of minds between public and private
sector players, and the report highlights
that there is a desire and willingness of
South Africans to work together to build
a more positive future for the country.
Time will tell whether, as a country,
we are able to address and harness the
enablers of the future and find solutions
to the challenges that will define the
next decade. All that’s left to do, really,
is to fight the good fight.
I hope you find the articles in this
issue of Plant Equipment & Hire
interesting, informative and insightful. If
you have any comments, suggestions or
insights, please email me at:
[email protected].
Enjoy your read!
FTI Consulting has released a new report focusing on ‘the future of South Africa’ –
exploring emerging trends in the South African economic and business landscape.”
www.plantonline.co.za
JULY 2019
1