The FW de Klerk Foundation welcomes the fact that President Ramaphosa, in the interest of good governance, accepted the resignation of Mr Nhlanhla Nene as Minister of Finance. As stated in a CFCR article yesterday, it was the right thing for Mr Nene to offer his resignation, and it was the right thing for the President to accept it. This presents the country with a rare case of accountability and ethical conduct at senior government level, especially in the last number of years. Too often, as in the case of SASSA and Life Esidimeni, politicians and senior officials shirked their responsibility and denied accountability – and in so doing, acted unethically. 

The FW de Klerk Foundation and former President De Klerk would like to congratulate fellow Nobel Laureate, Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Mpilo Tutu, on celebrating his 87th birthday tomorrow, Sunday 7 October. We rejoice in his life and achievements, and in the relative good health he has been enjoying. He has, throughout his life, fought for justice and reconciliation. He has consistently spoken out against injustices and wrong actions, irrespective of who the perpetrators were. In all of this, he has remained a humble servant of God, in service of his people. May you have a blessed day and a good year, Arch!

In his SONA earlier this year, President Cyril Ramaphosa promised that a national Jobs Summit would be held this year. This is now planned for 4 to 5 October. All constituencies represented in Nedlac will be present. In his statement leading up to the conference, the President highlighted the need for “creating decent work and building an inclusive economy”. So far, so good. 

The critical premise for this Jobs Summit is the following. What can a Jobs Summit achieve in a time of deep recession when the economy is in a slump, when there is almost no economic policy certainty and when the cornerstone of the economy, property rights, is perceived to be under threat? Additionally, the presidential drive for international and national investment has been lukewarm at best. This despite Ramaphosa having lined up a dream team in April 2018 to sell SA Inc.