Embassy downgrade not yet considered by cabinet, says Ramaphosa

TALI FEINBERG

“Once the cabinet has fully engaged and come out with a view on this matter, it will be communicated to the public. In other words, we remain seized with the modalities of downgrading the South African embassy in Israel, and this matter has not been finalised,” he said.

This is direct contradiction to recent comments by the Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Lindiwe Sisulu, who said that the downgrade had already begun.

“South Africa is playing a constructive role in the Middle East,” the president continued, “and we use every opportunity that avails itself to engage with all states in this region, including the Palestinians and Israelis. We continue to host high-level talks and receive numerous delegations from Israel and Palestine. We hope to intensify this in the future.”

Asked if he still welcomed foreign direct investment by Israel, the president said, “South Africa welcomes investment in our economy from any investor that respects our laws and supports the development of our economy.”

Turning to his own government ahead of next week’s elections, he assured the Jewish community that he continued to root out corruption. “Those who have been accused of corrupt practices must be held to account in terms of the law, without fear, favour, or prejudice. That is why we are establishing an investigating directorate in the NPA [National Prosecuting Authority] and have established a special SIU [Special Investigation Unit] tribunal to fast track the recovery of funds lost to the state from corruption.

“I have no doubt that the law-enforcement agencies will act against those implicated in criminal activity, but must do so through due legal process. If we want to build strong, durable institutions, we must guard against arbitrary actions by those in power,” he said.

As described in this issue of the SA Jewish Report (see page 8), many young people are considering leaving South Africa. Discussing why they should stay, the president said, “Despite its challenges, despite its history, South Africa has abundant opportunities. Now, as we make a firm break with the difficulties and mistakes of the past decade, we stand ready to seize these opportunities. For this, we need policy certainty and consistency, clean and effective government, and a vibrant and innovative business community. Most importantly, we need young, skilled South Africans who are motivated to make a difference.

“Young people need to see an economy that has doubled in size since the advent of democracy, that has created an extra seven million jobs since 1994, and they need to ask themselves what they can do to make our economy grow even faster and create even more jobs.

“It is for this reason that we are focusing effort and resources on improving access to quality education – from early childhood to university – and why we have prioritised getting youth into employment. Therein lies the future of the country.”

Regarding our massive crime problem, Ramaphosa said, “Building an inclusive economy and dramatically reducing unemployment are essential to our efforts to overcome crime. As we undertake this work, we are also improving policing by, among other things, moving resources to station level, where the fight against crime is most effective.

He said the police service was building better relations with communities, and “we are strengthening our capacity to tackle gangsterism and organised crime. We have taken steps over the past year to clean up the police service and other law enforcement agencies so that they are focused on the task of promoting safety and security.”

South Africa’s economic performance has slumped more in the past 12 years than any other nation that is not at war, but the president insists we have begun to turn things around. “We achieved a five-year high in foreign direct investment in the past year, reaching R70.7 billion in 2018, up from R26.8 billion in 2017. Through commissions of inquiry into state capture, SARS [the South African Revenue Service], and the Public Investment Corporation, we are uncovering details of the wrongdoing of the past few years, and taking measures to address them.

“We have made changes at the NPA, at SARS, in the police service, and in state security. We are strengthening those institutions responsible for investigating and prosecuting corruption. We are rebuilding state institutions, and have put capable boards in place to drive turnaround strategies at state-owned enterprises. Through these and other efforts, we are working to rebuild confidence among investors, business people, and the South African public.”

The president said one of the greatest impediments to the growth of small business was the continued dominance in some markets of established players. “Through interventions like the new Competition Amendment Act, we aim to tackle monopolistic and anti-competitive practices, and create space for new entrants into the economy.

“We are significantly expanding support for small businesses through our business-incubation programme, opening up incubators in townships and rural areas, where there is a great demand for assistance. Through the revisions we made to the BEE [black economic empowerment] codes, we have given additional weight to enterprise and supplier development.

“Understanding that small businesses struggle to access markets, we are setting aside more government-procurement opportunities for SMMEs [small and medium-sized enterprises]. We are encouraged by efforts from the private sector to do more to source goods and services from small and emerging businesses.

Since taking office, the president has spoken many times about his vision for South Africa, but what is he doing to ensure that this is carried out – with or without him? “It is essential that we build strong institutions that uphold our constitution, promote the rule of law, and advance the interests of South Africans,” he said. “Just as these institutions need to be free from undue influence by any individual or group, they should not be reliant on any one individual. That is why I have spent much of the past year working to rebuild public institutions and mend relations between government, business, labour, and communities.”

Asked how he will keep extremists like the EFF [Economic Freedom Fighters] at bay, the president responded, “South Africa is a strong and robust democracy. Without a popular mandate, no organisation – extremist or not – will be able to exercise influence over the policies and programmes of the state.”

In December 2018, the ANC parliamentary caucus signed a co-operation agreement with Hamas. The SA Jewish Report asked the president how the ANC could align itself with such an organisation. Ramaphosa responded that the agreement was still being considered by the ANC as it had not been seen by all its structures. “I am certain that it does not call for all the things you mention, because this would be against our own constitution and beliefs as a nation.”

Asked what he could say to our community to convince it not to abandon South Africa, he responded, “We are not in denial about the huge challenges we still face, nor about the severe impact that state capture and corruption has had on our economy, public institutions, and general levels of trust within society.

But, “We have the opportunity to turn this around. We have shown in the short space of a year that – as government, business, labour, and other social partners – we are determined to make a clear break with corruption, patronage, policy incoherence, and economic mismanagement. We are not merely saying that we are on a path of renewal. Our actions prove it.”