Ramaphosa’s advisors flag major problems in South Africa that need urgent attention

 ·18 Jan 2024

The presidential economic advisory council (PEAC) told President Cyril Ramaphosa in a meeting on Wednesday that the country’s status quo continues to hinder economic growth.

“In its assessment of the current economic environment, the PEAC highlighted fiscal risks, the poor performance of state-owned enterprises, ongoing load shedding, historical underinvestment in infrastructure, and rising levels of crime as the most urgent obstacles to growth,” the presidency said following the meeting with the independent group of local and international economists and technical experts.

The meeting came on the day that the rand hit a three-month low against the dollar, surpassing the R19 to the dollar mark.

Business Day reported that some ministers faced severe criticism from the council, especially when it came to how they have been addressing the electricity crisis.

The paper said that certain ministers faced objections over a lack of investment in infrastructure, delays in releasing bid windows and a lack of focus on electricity transmission, which would allow new energy generation capacity onto the grid.

However, the presidency’s version of events did not match this, instead saying that “members of PEAC commended the progress made in advancing economic reform, including in the energy, transport, and telecommunications sectors, as well as in rebuilding state institutions that were weakened by state capture.”

Proposals put forward by the experts to strengthen state capacity, professionalise the public service, and improve the governance of state-owned enterprises were raised in the meeting.

They also discussed the possibility of adopting a proactive green industrial strategy to utilize South Africa’s vast renewable energy resources.

In addition, the experts proposed providing support to small businesses and the informal sector, as well as implementing measures to speed up the execution of the Energy Action Plan to put an end to load shedding.

“The analysis and recommendations provided by PEAC continue to play a key role in informing government policymaking,” said the presidency.


Read: Fears over South Africa’s economy

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