Statement from Brett Herron, Member of the Western Cape Legislature and Secretary-General of the GOOD Party.
20 OCTOBER 2020
The Western Cape Provincial Government’s economic outlook for the people of the province is bleak.
MEC for Finance David Maynier’s provincial and municipal economic review and outlook projected annual provincial economic growth of 1% from 2020 to 2024, and a massive loss of jobs.
The Covid pandemic has wrought economic havoc across the world. Those states and state entities best able to demonstrate economic nimbleness, innovation and creativity will recover first.
But Maynier presented no vision, no plan and no hope. He presented an image of a provincial economy in the Intensive Care Unit, with no treatment or vaccination anywhere in sight.
His commitment to create an enabling environment for private sector led growth was so trite it bordered on totally irrelevant.
Where are the details of a provincial localisation programme to create local jobs, for example? Where are the plans to nurture the tech industry on which we developed new levels of dependency under lockdown conditions? Which new economic sectors are we eyeing to create new jobs in a revitalising economy?
Maynier is too well paid, with too many well-paid advisers around him, to present nothing more than an economic lament.
His presentation was a massive let down at a time when the people of this province, specially poor people, are crying out as never before for real plans and real leadership.
ENDS