If you're serious about developing the SA economy

[Dave A]

If you're serious about trying to develop the South African economy, you really need to read this article by Nic Dawes.

Good one, Nic

[desA]

“Next year’s budget will look very different,” he said.

“If our goal is to create jobs for our people, particularly young people, if our goal is to make our economy competitive, the conversation about a social compact needs to be a lot more dynamic, resulting in a practical impact, not just another statement.”

If this man can walk his talk & is strongly backed by Zuma, then look upwards SA... Jolly good stuff. This guy is wise & gets my full support.

[desA]

Next up:

What the the special something that young South Africans can do that no other nation can do, as well? What is their true natural aptitude? There will be an answer.

[tonyflanigan]

Next up:

What the the special something that young South Africans can do that no other nation can do, as well? What is their true natural aptitude? There will be an answer.

are we talkin 18 to 25 yr olds here?

those that aren't still at school emigrate...

ey... i'm not optimistic...

too many bad habits....

no discipline....

I could go on forever

[desA]

are we talkin 18 to 25 yr olds here?
those that aren't still at school emigrate...
ey... i'm not optimistic...
too many bad habits....
no discipline....
I could go on forever

Very interesting perspective, Tony.

This is the mindset I've been coming across with many SA folks. It honestly seems like people have all become cynical & that everything is assumed to continue trending downwards.

Emigration: Not every youngster can emigrate. They may be able to travel abroad for a while, but the majority will probably have to return at some point. The rest of the world have their own youngsters needing jobs, why should SA's young take those opportunities? It simply becomes one, or two generations of displaced, confused people.

Not optimistic: I don't blame you - especially if you look in the rear-view mirror & extrapolate the past into the future. Practically, Clem Sunter's 'high-road/low-road' scenarios are now on the table. The 'low road' has played out during the first post-apartheid years. Folks have become negative & cynical - the world has ended.

What, though, if the Zuma government in fact sees the writing on the wall in that the only real way forwards for SA is for it to forget about its past & begin to focus on the future. This will bring difficulties & turbulence different to what was experienced on the 'low road' scenario.

On the 'high road' scenario, the trade union power & common man's expectations are going to have to be changed from 'gimme what you got - now', to 'teach me to help myself & my nation'. From 'shades of green' to 'we are all South Africans'.

A case in point - South Korea.

I commend the man mentioned in the OP (Pravin Gordhan) for his courage in daring to address the unthinkable. Migrating to the high-road scenario will not be an easy task.

[murdock]

i will become optimistic the day all people are equal and all registered as south africans and not black...white...indian and coloured...when you are given a job or contract because you are competent to carry out the work or project required of you...and not by the colour of your skin or who you are related to.

as long as there is BBEE and i am discriminated against because of the colour of my skin...out of principle i will not employ or assist any other race group with traing or education even though i have a wealth of knowledge and could be an invalauble resource to the young up an coming youngsters...maybe the goverment should wake and realise they have an abundence of people like myself who have chosen to stay here because i was born here and dont plan of leaving until julius malema becomes president of the ANC...that will unfortunately be the downfall of this country for all SA of all races expect his close friends....julius malema=magabe (the youth are the future of this country just a pity they dont have a role model like mandela to guide them) and i am not political analyst just can read the writting on the wall...i dont look forward to this day...it looks to me like JZ is just filling the post like mbeki did for JZ...it is such a pity there are not more leaders like mandela to look forward to.

[manhav]

I think that all of us need to change our attitude. History has shown that, even in difficult times, some people not only managed to survive but actually prospered.

In our present circumstances we seem to wait for the government to determine the way forward. Well, if we wait for the Zuma government to show us the way forward, I think we are going to wait a long time. The examples the Zuma government is setting us, leave much to worry about.

[murdock]

one thing i find interesting is how places the the railways...eskom etc dont have apprentices any longer...i went to the old appy school a while back and noticed the place was like a ghost town...when i did my time there we were offered all sorts of packages to get rid of us because there was such an abundance of qualified electricians...the appy school was a hive of activity...with around 300 appies in training at any givien time...i hear there are not even 300 appies in the entire country at this point in time.

something else i heard via the grapevine is around 1600 engineers qualified at varsity and tech but because of BEE these new profesionals will need to seek employment outside of south africa because they cannot find employment here...anyone know if this is true?

[tonyflanigan]

I think that all of us need to change our attitude. History has shown that, even in difficult times, some people not only managed to survive but actually prospered.

You are onto something there manhav. The problem I have is that no matter how much i change my mindset and attitude, there are so many others that are quite happy to continue the way they are. I'm still in South Africa because that is my choice. I still, perhaps misguidedly, believe that South Africa, despite zuma, majola, and the rest of the circus, has a great future.

[Dave A]

I think in difficult times, the truly skilled are even more valuable than in "normal" times.

It might not be appreciated immediately, but it's inevitable that it will eventually.

Getting back to Nic's article, the one thing I disagree with is the suggestion of a conflict between Pravin's support for conditional easing of labour legislation and Rob Davies's international trade protectionist ideas. I reckon they don't conflict; they'll actually work well together.

Obviously if we talk about labour protectionism as we see in the LRA, different story. There they'll definitely but heads.