STATEMENT ON THE ECONOMY, HIGH LEVELS OF UNEMPLOYMENT AND
COST OF LIVING
We are deeply concerned about the current high levels of
unemployment and the rising cost of living, and how they disproportionately
impact the lives of those at the margins of the economy. Both the high
levels of unemployment and the cost of living are pushing more people into
higher levels of household debt and deep poverty.
We denounce the continued preoccupation of our leaders with
self-enrichment, party politics and factional battles
Amid this national crisis, it is sad that the focus of our
political leaders remains fixed on narrow vested interests, and not on issues
important to ordinary citizens, particularly the homeless, the unemployed, and
the hungry. In the strongest terms possible, we denounce the continued preoccupation
of our leaders with self-enrichment, party politics and factional battles at a
time when the majority in this country are struggling to make ends meet.We make
an urgent appeal to the government to initiate stronger measures to address the
fuel and food price hike.
The need to regularly review the adverse impact of
structural reforms on the poor
Another area of concern for us is
how the most vulnerable in our country are the ones disproportionately bearing
the social impacts of structural reforms and fiscal consolidation. While
acknowledging the country’s need to urgently tackle the structural barriers to
growth, we appeal to the government to introduce stronger social review
mechanism so as to ensure that the austerity measures and other structural
reforms are regularly reviewed not solely in terms of economic efficiency, but
also in terms of their adverse impact on the poor. We ask that the social
review of austerity measures be undertaken particularly with respect to basic education sector and health sector, having due regard
to how budget cuts in such sectors re-enforce the two-tiered system of
education and health services, with the poor condemned to sub-standard services
while the rich continue to access a high standard of education and health
services.We are scandalised by the government’s decision to increase
the salaries of ministers, premiers, MECs and Members of Parliament by 3 per
cent. This decision on salary increases for politicians shows that the
Independent Commission for the Remuneration of Public Office-Bearers and the
government are insensitive to the plight of the poor and the financial
hardships that many ordinary citizens are going through during this time.
The persistent gap between the rich and the poor
We are concerned about the
persistent gap between the rich and the poor in our country and how it
continues to impose great risk to the country’s economic growth and national
security, creating conditions that could fuel violent unrest and social
instability. Structural reforms to
address the barriers to growth will not result in integral human development if
there is an increased indifference to the country’s economic inequalities and
the need for economic transformation, particularly with respect to land
inequalities, mining and agriculture.
The vast disparities between the rural and urban economies
Of particular concern to us is the huge disparities between
the rural and urban economies, which have resulted into the exclusion of the
rural poor from equal and significant participation in the country’s economy.
Our rural economies continue to suffer from serious neglect in terms of educational
opportunities, viable municipalities, as well as public and private
investments. Our rural youth find it
hard to find jobs when the building of rural economies is grounded solely on mining,
manufacturing and agricultural sectors which are themselves characterised by
increased automation and exploitative labour system. We therefore
call on the government to invest more in building thriving and self-sustaining
rural economies, including self-sustaining village economies, that generate
massive job creation for the rural youth, including those classified as skilled
labour.
The Eskom Crisis, as well as Transnet’s failing rail
infrastructure
We remind the government of the urgent need to address the
load shedding and the Eskom Crisis, as well as Transnet’s failing rail
infrastructure, both of which impact negatively on the lives of the poor and
the prospects of economic recovery. In the interest of inclusion, the much talked about
decentralisation of energy production into private business must include viable
models of community-private partnerships that ensure significant economic
benefits to the people in the rural areas, particularly with respect to
large-scale solar and wind projects.
Parties need to work together in fixing failed
municipalities
Considering that municipalities provide most of the
services important for lifting people out of poverty, we make a strong call on
all political parties in our country, particularly those deeply involved in
unhealthy coalition politics, to set aside their political differences and work together in fixing failed municipalities. The fixing of financial and capacity issues
in municipalities should include finding ways of building self-sustaining township
economies and village-based economies grounded on small-scale producers and small
business development.
All implicated in state capture and other forms of
corruption must be held to account
It is clear to us that the benefits of growth are not adequately
reaching the poor largely because of corruption, wasteful expenditure,
incompetence, and mismanagement of government funds. We find this
to be morally unacceptable. At a time when many people are struggling to
make ends meet, we strongly denounce the failure of the government to address
accountability issues and consequence management in such matters.
The fight against corruption should be guided by the good of the nation, and
not by blind loyalty to political parties and factional interests.
We ask the government to make sure that those implicated in state capture and
other forms of corruption are held to account irrespective of their affiliation
to a particular political party and faction.
Stop the culture of cable theft, non-payment of municipal
rates, vandalism, and damage to infrastructure
We remind all South Africans that each one of us has a
responsibility to rebuild our country’s economy, including the municipalities
and state-owned enterprises. This includes
working together as communities to stop the culture of
cable theft, non-payment of municipal rates, vandalism, and damage to
infrastructure. We also call on the citizens to use whatever opportunity
and means available to grow their own food and earn some income instead
expecting everything from the government.
We ask God to continue healing our economy
We promise our prayers for families struggling with current
economic hardships and call on those who can to be moved to do something about
the plight of their brothers and sisters “so that by the power of the Holy
Spirit they may abound in hope” (Romans 15:23). Sustained by the
Risen Christ, our hope (1 Corinthians 15:12), we
ask God to continue healing our economy so that it becomes a just economy
that works for the benefit of all.
