“The success of the economy of Matjhabeng revolves around the extent to which the business community can work with us (government) to have a contract that is implementable, a contract that can work.”
So said Pres. Cyril Ramaphosa during the ANC’s Letsema campaign in Welkom on Saturday (08/10).
He visited the ward 11 sewage treatment, the ward 15 clinic, a cleaning campaign in ward 15, engaged with ANC branches in Far East, Thabong, and had lunch with stakeholders and the business community at the Lemotso Primary School.
He told Jakes Jooste, chairman of the Welkom Business Forum, that if the government and the business sector can support one another and work together, success will be guaranteed.
“We (government) encourage your members (business) to work with us,” Ramaphosa told Jooste.
Jooste says less than 100 people, 13 of which were Matjhabeng businessmen, attended the luncheon.
“Our mayor, Thanduxolo Khalipha, and the president get on very well, and the fact that Ramaphosa came to Welkom and spent an hour in a round-table discussion with business people could bode well for Matjhabeng,” says Jooste.
Nick Mitchell, chief operating officer of Renergen Limited, and Ramaphosa discussed gas and the possibilities of power generation. High-level talks between Renergen and Ramaphosa are on the cards.
Talks of reviving Phakisa Raceway, the motor racing circuit between Welkom and Odendaalsrus, also took place.
Jooste says a lot of suggestions were bounced around during the luncheon, but this was mostly a repetition of previous discussions.
“We do not have a say in government, our interactions are dependent on the appetite of the politicians to bring change. We need business to stand together with the community to get results. The community does not count for much, we are at the mercy of the politicians,” says Jooste.
Businessmen also addressed the serious issues of infrastructure collapse in Matjhabeng, and more specifically the water and sewage crisis.
“We discussed the effects of poor service delivery and loadshedding on the local economy.
“Loadshedding does not make local businesses sustainable, and the high cost of diesel is crippling. We asked Ramaphosa to consider dropping the levy on diesel.”
Jooste says the local businessmen met with Ramaphosasa and gained insight into the thinkings of national government and the ruling party.
“We saw the interaction between Ramaphosa and Khalipha and the other politicians present. We experienced Ramaphosa’s speech. This gave us an indication of his plans and what the near future holds for us in terms of Khalipha’s vision and how Ramaphosa agrees with Khalipha’s vision,” Jooste concluded.
