With the 54th national conference of the ANC due to begin on December 16, Business Leadership South Africa (BLSA) has called for the conference to be peaceful, and expressed the hope that a new political leader would be elected as expected and promised.
BLSA issued a statement on Thursday in which it highlighted how important the conference would be to all South Africans, and defended BLSA's interest in politics.
Bonang Mohale, chief executive officer of BLSA, said:
"If a credible election is not held in December, or if the new leadership that emerges does not move swiftly to prioritise economic recovery, eradicate state capture and restore the faith of the country in our institutions, the future for our economy and our country is bleak indeed."
BLSA called on the ANC:
- To ensure that the conference is held, and held peacefully. Leaders, whoever they may be, should be elected as expected and promised.
- To remain vigilant against any interference or attempts to derail the smooth running of the conference. A delay in the conference would be very damaging to the economy, as it would deepen uncertainty about when and how the future leadership of the governing party would be resolved.
- To prioritise inclusive economic growth and job creation above all else and commit to working with business and other sectors of society to develop an urgent economic recovery plan.
- To eradicate state capture. In this regard, we repeat our call for the establishment of an independent judicial enquiry as recommended by the public protector in the report "State of Capture".
- To restore the credibility of our state institutions, particularly those in the criminal justice system, and to protect Chapter 9 institutions, Treasury and the Reserve Bank.
- To address the leadership, governance and balance sheets of critical state-owned enterprises.