Nedlac sets up team to finalise SA economy’s recovery programme

The National Economic Development and Labour Council (Nedlac) says it has set up a working team that will finalise a recovery plan for the South Africa economy.

The council is made up of government, labour, business and community as social partners.

The SABC looks at Nedlac’s role in the South African economy:

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Nedlac, chaired by President Cyril Ramaphosa, convened a virtual discussion on Thursday on how South Africa can come out of financial difficulties, which have been worsened by the impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

In a statement, the council says the economic crisis is increasing levels of vulnerability. “Nedlac constituents agree that the economic crisis is increasing levels of vulnerability, including extreme poverty and hunger and that measures are required to stem further declines in GD; a worsening of the budget deficit and deeper job losses.”

Fight against corruption

Nedlac social partners say the government must intensify the fight against corruption in order to ensure that it does not undermine economic recovery efforts.

“Social partners have developed a significant degree of convergence and commonality on the grave nature of the economic challenge, and the need to identify priority interventions and act urgently to move the economy forward. Consensus is emerging on what to do to achieve economic recovery, transformation, inclusive growth and globally competitive economy,” the council says.

The council says it will nominate senior leadership to serve on a team that will set priority actions for economic reconstruction and institutional arrangements to support these actions.

The team will build on the foundation set by the agreements reached at the Presidential Job Summit in 2018 and will include transforming by the current Presidential Working Committee on the Jobs Summit into a Presidential Working Committee on Economic Recovery.

“The team will focus on such areas as job creation; having a sectoral approach; prioritising infrastructure; the need for urgent attention on energy security and working on the bottlenecks to economic growth.”

The team is expected to present Nedlac and the Ramaphosa with an economic recovery action plan that will be submitted to the cabinet for endorsement.

Cosatu calls for lifting of alcohol ban

Earlier, the Congress of South African Trade Union (Cosatu) called on the government to lift the ongoing prohibition on alcohol sales to help protect jobs.

The labour union says government has an equal duty to protect lives and those who depend on the sale of alcohol to make a living. It says the country needs to get ‘the balance right’ and that the ban on the sale of alcohol was always seen as a temporary measure.

Cosatu deputy president, Michael Shingange spoke to SABC’s Tsepiso Makwetla: 

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