Heinz de Boer MPL – DA KZN Spokesperson on Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs (EDTEA)
Note to Editors: Find attached a soundbite from DA KZN Spokesperson on Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs (EDTEA), Heinz de Boer MPL.
The Democratic Alliance in KwaZulu-Natal is currently preparing a new Economic Development framework – one which we will be pushing forward robustly in an attempt to halt further job losses in the province.
The move comes shortly after the release of the first quarter 2019 Grosse Domestic Product (GDP) figures for South Africa which make for sobering reading and must act as a wake-up call to government. Of particular concern are declining growth numbers in the manufacturing, retail and agricultural sectors. Driven heavily by load shedding and a further loss in investor confidence, our GDP is set to experience a 1,5 percent shrinkage. Meanwhile, new car sales are down by 31,6 percent, while the manufacturing sector is also down by 11,4 percent.
It is against this bleak backdrop that the DA is preparing its plan for KZN which we believe must include;
- Doing away with departmental silos, making it easier for private industry to invest in our province
- Radical interventions to stabilize municipalities and root out corruption. No business wants to invest in a badly run city
- Actively seeking out and promoting areas for manufacturing and associated industry- particularly in peri-urban areas. These regions must be backed with proper infrastructure developments.
The DA believes that tried and tested methods of cooperative interventions, and sound policy decisions can again restore investor confidence in KZN. Ultimately though, our province’s growth will forever be stifled unless the ANC gets serious about empowering citizens, rather than aiding the destruction of our home grown industry. The knock-on effects around this are profound, with an expected 5 000 jobs to be lost in the sugar industry and hundreds more in the poultry industry.
The growth of our province also remains at risk due to the political shenanigans emanating from the ANC at provincial and national level. This must stop. As must the continual cosy relationship government enjoys with its former struggle supporters, which has already done major damage to the province.
The DA will not rest in its quest to drive economic agendas that create real, long term jobs that directly benefit our citizens.