President Cyril Ramaphosa delivers the state of the nation address in Parliament, Cape Town, on February 11 2022. Picture: REUTERS/NIC BOTHMAN
For years we, active stakeholders in the private sector, have asked the government to undo the unnecessary and obstructive red tape that makes it easier to just not do business in SA; 2022 Sona ... check. We have bemoaned the delays and endless back and forth around the allocation of spectrum, noting how it is choking advancement and development in the country. We have urged government to put a firm timeline on proceeding; 2022 Sona ... check.
Of course, the president said a lot more, but the point is that it feels as though someone in the presidency’s office has finally listened to the ideas, advice, pleas and outright rage emanating from the private sector. However, saying something and then doing it are two very different things, and the SA government’s track record on delivery leaves a lot to be desired. To be even more frank, it is atrocious.
Be that as it may, the state of the nation address hit the right notes for business, and this will have a positive effect on confidence. Whether this confidence is sustained or short-lived will depend on the budget to be delivered by finance minister Enoch Godongwana, and then a clinical and uncompromising implementation of the president’s high-level plan.