Johannesburg – The decision by President Cyril Ramaphosa to tap both the ministers of small business and tourism as acting political principals in the presidency and health smacks of a man who has thrown in the towel in growing two sectors that are key to job creation.
It is not only folly, but ironic that Ramaphosa in his wisdom, would see it fit to deploy the Minister of Small Business Development Khumbudzo Ntshaveni as his de facto spokesperson and the Minister of Tourism Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane as an acting boss in the department of Health.
Their ministries, both central in the National Development Plan that the president played a key role in conceptualising, are instrumental in growing the economy and staving off unemployment.
Small businesses and the hospitality industry are both on their knees, in need of government assistance.
The departments need ministers who are fully focused on the massive tasks before them, not moonlighting heads. According to the Tourism 2020 report released by Statistics South Africa, foreign arrivals plunged by 71% from just over 15.8 million in 2019 to less than 5 million in 2020.
It is evident even to a palooka that the Covid-19 pandemic impacted the tourism industry quite hard. Yet, the incumbent in Mahlamba Ndlopfu could not be bothered. In his world, the industry is an after-thought, hence the paltry government financial assistance.
It is criminal that at a time when youth unemployment sits at a staggering 74.7%, the government does not see it fit to have all hands on deck and funds channeled to SMMEs and the tourism industry, both of which can absorb millions of youth.
The data suggests that the youth face extreme difficulties engaging with the labour market.
And we have to act surprised on why this is the case when we have a defocused administration, resembling a circus.
The message from Ramaphosa is clear; he does not have a clue on how to resuscitate this economy, besides photo sessions at the G7 and other like-minded platforms.
All this could have been avoided had Ramaphosa lift ed the wool over his eyes and saw what many South Africans see – that there is absolutely no need for deputy ministers if they cannot by law, step in when their bosses are not available for whatever reason.
Leaders always divide opinion. However, Ramaphosa is of a special kind in that half the country think he is this great saviour, while the other half think sometimes correctly, he is a hopeless mess.
That is quite a divide.
Lead, Mr President and understand that tourism and small businesses are our economy’s lifelines.
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