Government has got to be joking with its shipping carrier idea

On hearing government’s potential plans to establish a national shipping carrier last week, you would have been forgiven for thinking it was April Fool’s Day in late December.

If it wasn’t such a bizarre suggestion, it would perhaps be funny. However, our government toying with the idea of establishing a national carrier in an attempt to boost the transport sector is a huge concern for the taxpayer.

Has government forgotten what a mess the majority of our state-owned enterprises (SOEs) are in? There is zero confidence in our SOEs from the public, with continuous bailouts the norm.

SA Airways is in business rescue. Government is facilitating the radical restructuring of the national airline.

The Passenger Rail Agency of SA (Prasa) has been placed into administration and dissolved their interim board with immediate effect, with government saying “the rail agency had deep-rooted problems and merely replacing the interim board with a permanent one would not solve its challenges”.

Public broadcaster SABC is a shambles and let’s not even talk about Eskom.

But Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula insists a national shipping carrier is an option.

“We are steadfast in our commitment to position the oceans economy as a strategic contributor to economic stimulation and growth,” said Mbalula in written replies to questions published in parliament last week.

“In recognising our contribution to the country’s efforts towards realising inclusive growth, we must prioritise the acceleration of interventions that will unlock the potential of the oceans economy and drive transformation in an aggressive way.”

We are all for looking for new avenues to create economic growth and employment, but this is surely not the answer. Mbalula, pull the other one…

For more news your way, download The Citizen’s app for iOS and Android.