ANC to refine response to Treasury’s plan with alliance partners
The ANC says it will work with its alliance partners on a response to finance minister Tito Mboweni’s economic reform strategy document.
Alliance partners Cosatu and the SACP have criticised the document, with the union federation rejecting it outright over a lack of consultation, among issues.
The SACP said it noted the release with “serious concern” and will debate the paper at its augmented central committee meeting this weekend.
The ANC has not yet taken a position on the document released by the National Treasury last week. The Treasury has called for all public comment to go directly to the department by September 15.
The document says that should its recommended short and long-term interventions be implemented as much as 2-3 percentage points could be added to SA’s economic growth and more than 1-million job opportunities created.
Addressing the media on Monday evening, ANC secretary-general Ace Magashule said the party's top leadership had met with Mboweni and chair of the party's economic transformation committee, Enoch Godongwana.
Magashule said it was agreed that “it is necessary to engage all stakeholders out there in the public”, as well as the ANC’s various structures, regarding the document.
He said it was “not all bleak” and that the alliance’s political council will meet to “further refine our input”.
There was “no crisis at all”, and space had been created for all views, he said.