In Ramaphosa, SA business trusts – Neasa

Big business has expressed confidence in President Cyril Ramaphosa’s ability to lead and make good on his promises to put the country on the right footing.

South Africa’s largest employers’ organisation, the National Employers Association of SA (Neasa), said the challenge that Ramaphosa faced was to execute what he deemed necessary to achieve.

Neasa, which was tasked with fighting for the plight of employers across a number of industries, has a membership of almost 8,200, including the majority of small, medium and micro enterprises in the steel and metal industry.

Neasa chief executive Gerhard Papenfus was more optimistic about Ramaphosa’s prospects and his pre-election promises and urged everyone, no matter their political loyalties, to support his vision.

“I believe the president when he says he wants to fix South Africa; I do not doubt his sincerity. He will not achieve his objectives overnight,” Papenfus said.

Neasa’s confidence-boosting statement came a week after the ANC walked home with 57.5% at last week’s general elections, a drop from 62.1% from its 2014 outcome.

But the party still celebrated this as a great achievement after its own predictions put the party performance at 40% or a loss of power.

Neasa noted the governing ANC’s victory and put their eggs in Ramaphosa’s basket.

“Both Mr Ramaphosa and the nation will have to be patient. South Africa will take longer to remedy than it took to destroy,” Papenfus said. “That will indeed be the case, especially when those who benefit through its failure will do everything in their power to derail the president’s efforts – and of course the efforts of those who hold up his hands.”

Papenfus said that the task to turn South Africa around was not only the task of the president, the political leadership and government officials who support his vision, but it was the task of each and every South African.

“No matter who you voted for on May 8, 2019, you have an obligation to make South Africa successful. We easily underestimate the devastating effect that our destructive words – which radically differs from constructive criticism – not only have on others, but on ourselves,” he said.

“It poisons and paralyses, not only us, but also all those around us. Life and death are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.”

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