Ramaphosa's economic recovery plan misses the mark for opposition parties
President Cyril Ramaphosa's recovery plan lacks the punch the country needs, to stimulate economic growth, says opposition parties, the Democratic Alliance (DA) and Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF).
They were responding toRamaphosa's guidelines to turn our ailing economy around.
The plan focuses on five key areas: job creation, small businesses, crime and corruption, state capability and economic reform.
Members of Parliament on Wednesday debated the plan during a joint sitting of the National Assembly.
The DA's John Steenhuisen says our economy was in trouble, long before the COVID-19 crisis.
"Our economy was in a recession, more than 10 million South Africans couldn't find work and we had already been relegated to junk status long before anyone had heard of the word coronavirus.
READ: Ramaphosa's job creation target 'a drop in the ocean'
"When the virus did arrive, it wasn't the pandemic that worsened our situation. It was the heavy-handed response by government. The hardest, longest, most unscientific lockdown in the world."
The EFF's Floyd Shivambu says imports are killing the economy.
"It's unthinkable that South Africa continues to import virtually all finished goods and products which includes: food, automobile, matchsticks, toothpicks, almost all furniture products, electronics, textile, healthcare facilities and protective equipment.
"Whilst there is an option to locally produce all of those and thereby create bigger economic activity."
