The leaders of the ANC, DA and EFF have all committed to establishing an export-driven economy. That is all they have said, without elaborating. This one-sentence commitment to in essence re-engineering an entire country and its economy is staggeringly presumptuous, grossly inadequate and wildly infuriating. Ever since “Pa fell off the bus” politicians have been mouthing on about local beneficiation and an export-driven economy, with eyes wide shut while China disrupted and displaced local manufacturing on a huge scale. Not a single politician has had the courage to tackle this herd of elephants in the room. These were our trade figures with China in 2017: we exported raw materials to the value of $8.7bn and imported finished goods valued at $15.2bn, according to Global Edge. This is hardly a symbiotic relationship and this has been the trend with China for many years. Reclaiming local manufacturing is the first of the challenges, thereafter positioning to compete on the bruta...
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Subscribe now to unlock this article.
Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).
There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.
Cancel anytime.
Questions? Email helpdesk@businesslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00. Got a subscription voucher? Redeem it now.