ANC government just does not get it!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(Free-Press-Release.com) January 20, 2011 -- COSATU and the ANC are encouraging government departments to create jobs (Mercury January 18, 2011 – ANC shifts focus on jobs to quantity over quality). The last thing we need is more people being employed in government departments paid for by the taxpayer. We should be striving for a leaner, smaller more streamlined and efficient government, as President Zuma originally said the week before he flip-flopped “the government is not an employment agency”.

We have to create an environment where businesses in the private sector can expand and employ more people, they are not going to do that in the current climate. Does COSATU think that by going on strike and demanding double digit salary increases that this is creating an environment where business owners are going to want to create more jobs, do they realise that when businesses have to pay out these extreme increases during this recessionary time they are either not going to be able to afford to expand and hire more employees or on the flip side, are going to have to retrench employees to be able to afford the increases.

On a local level, ANC eThekwini regional chairman S’bu Sibiya said they are going to come up with strategies to create jobs in the region, why now, the ANC has been running the city for a number of years and the situation has got progressively worse. In a recent meeting between DA Councillor Rick Crouch (Member of Economic Development Committee) and Malusi Mpanza of the Durban Chamber of Commerce, the Durban Chamber and the DA were in agreement that the cities current situation of 8.4% of eThekwini residents paying rates and contributing to the R26 Billion budget is unsustainable. Durban has become is a very business unfriendly city and according to the Chamber there is an exodus of businesses moving out of Durban. We have to create incentives for businesses to move to our city from other Metro’s, we have to be cheaper and more efficient.

With the Port of Durban being of the biggest contributors to the economies of not only Durban but also KZN, you would think that the city and the Economic Development Committee in particular would be concerned at statements by Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) Chairman Captain Salvatore Sarno, the ports biggest customer, with regards to the productivity of Durban’s port and the fact that MSC might have to look at other options. Taking note of this, on 22nd November 2010 the Democratic Alliance members of the eThekwini Economic Development Committee requested of Deputy Mayor Logie Naidoo, the committee chairperson, an urgent meeting of the Economic Development Committee with invitations to Captain Salvatore Sarno, senior Transnet officials and a senior official from the provincial Economic Development MEC’s office (as they said they were unaware of any problem) so as to plot a way forward and avert a crisis. To date the DA caucus has not even received a reply to this request. How many jobs do they think will be lost if the Port of Durban looses MSC as a customer.

“When you consider the Port of Durban off-loads 18-20 containers an hour, Mauritius which is much smaller than Durban off-loads 20 containers an hour and Antwerp, which is of similar size and capacity to Durban off-loads 95 containers an hour.” Said Councillor Rick Crouch, a DA member of the Economic Development Committee “And then consider that recent reports from the Port Regulator say that the Port of Durban ranked as one of the most expensive ports in the world, you have to wonder what is going on with the management of this port, the question should be asked as to why does our municipality, and the Economic Development Committee in particular not appear to consider this an important issue” Cllr Crouch went on to say.

CONTACT:
Councillor Rick Crouch
eThekwini Municipality
Economic Development Committee Member
073 418-6996
councillor@ward93.co.za

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