The outspoken CEO of Business Leadership South Africa, Busi Mavuso, has warned that business will find it difficult to continue its partnership initiatives with the government if a post-election government includes elements hostile to business and demanding policies inimical to business interests.
In a report carried in News24, she said: ‘We are not going to support an administration that is touting policies of mass economic destruction.’
This was understood to be a reference to a possible coalition between the ANC and the EFF.
Over 130 CEOs are working on projects to deal with South Africa’s numerous challenges, such as its insecure power supply and crime epidemic.
Mavuso cautioned that this would not be justified if a new government threatened business’ interests.
‘We’re hoping that we can continue working with the seventh administration,’ she said, ‘Business is fully committed to provide whatever support, resources, skills, expertise and knowledge is needed to get our economy over the line.’
She added that business was concerned that a new political alignment, necessitation dela-making, could open the door to corruption on a scale that exceeded what existed now.
The prospect of unstable and transactional coalitions were another concern. She noted that by reconciling diverse interests and opening parties to different points of view, coalitions could be a positive force in South Africa, but they would need to remain focused on the interests of the country as a whole. There had been bad experiences in places like Johannesburg with unstable coalition governments, and this should not be repeated elsewhere: ‘This dysfunction could become the national norm if the right coalition isn’t formed.’
She added that the ‘true north’ for a new government needed to be to encourage economic growth, noting: ‘This low-growth trap is actually going to lead to South Africa’s economic demise.’