GAVIN Keeton disappoints with his glib assertion (Local missteps add to global pressures on rand, January 18) that our businesses seemingly have no ability to take advantage of rand weakness by pushing exports. He, of all people, should know better.The volume of sales of our major exports, unprocessed or at best semi-processed minerals, is determined by the demand of buyers. Agricultural product exports have been curtailed by poor, and now disastrous, rainy seasons, as well as downturns in overseas markets. The volume of exports of our manufactured products is determined not only by price, but by reliability of delivery, the ability of our government to negotiate in international or regional forums — demonstrably poor in the case of the African Growth and Opportunity Act — and many other factors.On top of this are the continuing actions of the government to make commercial life more difficult and less profitable, with unreasonable black economic empowerment laws and failure to rein ...
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