Johannesburg, 12 September 2019 – Steel and Engineering Industries Federation of Southern Africa (SEIFSA) CEO Kaizer Nyatsumba has called upon Government,  business leaders, labour representatives and the general public to join hands and get involved in various efforts to reverse the many ills confronting South Africa including high unemployment, poverty, xenophobic attacks as well as violence against women and children.

Speaking at SEIFSA’s fifth Annual Southern African Metals and Engineering Indaba currently taking place at the IDC Conference Centre in Sandton, Mr Nyatsumba said as a country, we need to face up to the challenge that ours is a sick country that is dangerously close to tipping over – unless we fold our shirt sleeves and put shoulder to the wheel.

“The responsibility to save South Africa belongs to us all. In any society, this is way too important a task to leave to politicians alone. It is even worse in our case, where a growing number of politicians are exposed in various forms almost on a weekly basis to be self-serving individuals who worry only about themselves, their families and their political parties, with the country coming stone last, Mr Nyatsumba said.”

He added that South Africa has been taken over by angry, vile and unemployed men who rape, murder and pillage with gay abandon, comfortable in the knowledge that they will get away with it because the police are either on the take or useless and  law-enforcement agencies are impuissant.

He said amidst the state that South Africa currently finds itself in, it appears as though leaders have either gone to ground or are too pre-occupied with their internecine conflicts and sundry machinations.

“This is why we cannot leave the mammoth tasks of growing the economy, creating employment, fighting the scourge of xenophobia and protecting women to political leaders. It would, infact, be very irresponsible of us, as business and labour leaders, to stick our necks in the sand and pretend as though everything is hunky-dory. In my view, we all have a duty, individually and collectively, not only to face our current reality squarely in the face, but also to do something about it.”

In conclusion, Mr Nyatsumba said he believes that South Africa can be saved provided Government, business, labour and the general public work together as a team.

“We believe that however much the men and women of goodwill and integrity in Government may be willing to do so, the Government cannot execute this mammoth task alone. Obviously, with business not pulling the levers of legislative power, business also cannot do it alone. Instead, we need a strong partnership involving, in the first instance, Government, Business and Labour, followed by the general community.”

Ends

Issued by:

Ollie Madlala
Communications Manager
Tel: (011) 298 9411 / 082 602 1725
Email: ollie@seifsa.co.za
Web: www.seifsa.co.za