Cyril gets thumbs up from black business
President reinstates policy unit in the presidency
President Cyril Ramaphosa’s decision to reinstate the presidency’s policy and research unit has been welcomed by black business, with it saying this was an important development in the new administration. According to Sowetan’s sister publication Business Day, the unit will also give the presidency oversight of strategic projects such as the National Health Insurance scheme. The paper reported that it was also expected that a new growth plan and a new industrial policy will emanate from work done within the presidency and that an experienced cabinet minister will be appointed to work in the presidency, purely as adviser to Ramaphosa.
“Black Business Council
[BBC] welcomes the rein- statement of the presiden- cy’s policy and research unit and views this as an important development in the new administration. Implementation is the key driver of socioeconomic transformation and inclusive growth,” said the council’s president Sandile Zungu. “Policy certainty is vitally important in any business environment as it drives sentiments of investors all over the world. This development sends the correct signal that the new administration is serious about implementation and monitoring of current policies.
“The policy unit should also bring the much-needed policy cohesion that will undo the silo behaviour across all spheres of government,” Zungu said.
The BBC, which has given Ramaphosa its unwavering support, has also called on business, labour, government and community to support economic revival. “The BBC has always advocated for the intensification of policy implementation that will strengthen the government’s ability to adequately address the triple challenges of unemployment, poverty and inequality. This also fits well with the call by the BBC to establish a fit-for-purpose cabinet and administration.” However, economist and academic professor Chris Malikane said he was not sure what would be the role of the research unit as the president already has a panel of economic advisers. “But overall a president needs a research arm, but I don’t know how this arm is going to interact with other government departments,” Malikane said. Malikane, who believes that big business and multinationals have captured government policy, said the new unit should advise Ramaphosa against the unbundling of state-owned entities. He said these were responsible for large-scale skills development and they would lack this capacity if they were to be privatised.