President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Monday in his weekly newsletter to the nation that there has been progress made in the partnership between government and business over the last nine months.
The president said that the fruits of the relationship shows how much can get done when business and government work together.
In June last year, a partnership was established to help address the Eskom electricity supply crisis, the severe challenges in freight rail and port operations, and crime and corruption.
“These areas were identified as the most immediate obstacles to faster growth and job creation. By addressing these challenges we would be able to unleash great potential in our economy,” Ramaphosa said.
“We decided on a focused approach, undertaking those actions that would have the greatest impact in each area. Where appropriate, business has participated in government’s broader response to these challenges, and has dedicated substantial resources and skills in supporting government’s work. Since the partnership began, the private sector has contributed more than R170 million of direct support and has mobilised over 350 technical experts. More than 130 CEOs of the country’s leading companies have pledged their support,” he added.
The president noted that this collaboration builds on several successful partnerships between government and other social partners in recent years, including putting in place a national minimum wage.
Success Ramaphosa wants to highlight
The president noted that since November 2023, load shedding is 61% lower than the same period a year ago.
He argued that this has been made possible by the return of units at Kusile power station and the impact of new generation capacity from rooftop solar and private sector investment.
“Under the leadership of its new Group CEO, Eskom is finalising an agreement with business to deploy additional independent skilled experts to support Eskom,” he said.
“Business is supporting a number of the work streams of the National Logistics Crisis Committee (NLCC), providing technical, security and operational expertise to Transnet’s efforts to improve the performance of ports and freight rail,” the president noted.
To emphasise how stakeholders are working together, the president said that Transnet has, for example, achieved a 45% reduction in vessels anchored outside the Port of Durban and a 36% reduction in the waiting time to anchor for container vessels.
The president also noted a major success has been the provision of security by business on the rail network, which has resulted in a 65% reduction in criminal incidents on the Northern Corridor, reducing the number of trains cancelled.
He also said that work is currently under way to ramp up the deployment of police resources to secure network infrastructure in the longer term.
Crime prevention
Ramaphosa said that through the Joint Initiative on Crime and Corruption (JICC), the private sector is providing business information and resources to assist with the fight against infrastructure crime.
“Support has also been provided to modernise the 10111 helpline, with a pilot project initiated at the main call centre in Midrand, and the establishment with the Hawks of a forensics analysis centre,” he noted.
The president concluded that government is working to increase electricity generation capacity from different sources by up to 10,600MW, which will enable a significant reduction in the severity of load shedding by the end of this year.
“This includes improved Eskom plant performance, additional private investment in rooftop solar and large-scale power projects, and connecting projects from previous renewable energy bid windows to the grid,” Ramaphosa said.
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