President Cyril Ramaphosa warned business leaders in Durban on Wednesday that violence and intimidation in KwaZulu-Natal could hurt investment and slow the province’s economic recovery.
He spoke at the 170th anniversary gala dinner of the Durban Chamber of Commerce and Industry in eThekwini. Ramaphosa said there would be zero tolerance for lawlessness as protests continue in Durban and other areas.
“We are just days away from an election and the political climate is charged,” Ramaphosa said. He was referring to the local government elections set for 4 November.
“There are those who are exploiting public sentiment around illegal migration to stir up communities and to provide cover for criminality,” he said.
According to Moneyweb, the recent looting and damage to infrastructure have been linked to anti-immigration campaigns. These include lobby groups such as March and March. The groups believe undocumented foreign nationals are putting pressure on public resources.
Ramaphosa said the tensions have created uncertainty for business. He said the incidents have been isolated, but the government will leave nothing to chance. It fears a repeat of the July 2021 unrest.
The president has already deployed the South African National Defence Force in KwaZulu-Natal. A total of 510 soldiers will support law enforcement in the province.
“This demands vigilance from all of us, including the business community. Just as we refused to be turned against each other before, we will refuse to be divided now,” Ramaphosa said.
He told company bosses at the dinner that protecting lives and property was critical to securing the province’s economic recovery. He warned that if instability is not dealt with, it would affect investment and set the province back.
“Durban remains the busiest container port in sub-Saharan Africa,” Ramaphosa said. He described this as one of the signs that the city is turning around economically, despite pressure at home and abroad.
Part of the recovery plan includes steps to protect Durban’s manufacturing base and keep local jobs. This will need billions of rand in investment, Moneyweb reported.
Ramaphosa said businesses that have invested in the city must be able to compete on a fair and level playing field.
“We need to take forward the work to revitalise the city’s manufacturing and industrial zones and reduce the costs of doing business,” he said.
He also spoke about weak service delivery in the city. “There is still a significant infrastructure backlog that is constraining greater investment and better services for the people of the city,” he said.
Ramaphosa praised the eThekwini Metro Council for adopting the Development and Service Delivery Partnering Policy Framework. He said the council took this step after concerns about delays and red tape in public and private partnerships.
“We now need to put that framework to use to implement key infrastructure projects,” he said.
Ramaphosa said the municipal elections on 4 November would be important for policy certainty and for building on progress made in the province.
Source: this article is based on reporting by Moneyweb. Image: Moneyweb. Written with the help of AI and published by the Tzaneen Voice Business desk. See our Editorial Standards.
Anelisa Nkuna covers business and money news for Tzaneen Voice. Anelisa reports on the rand, fuel prices, interest rates, jobs, Eskom, Transnet, farming and company results. The aim is simple: explain what the numbers mean for household budgets, small businesses and workers in South Africa.