By: Natasha Archary
After securing more than double the required signature submissions to feature on the ballots for the upcoming elections, Mmusi Maimane is promising a job in every household.
The Build One South Africa (BOSA) leader who is contesting the 2024 elections in every province shares more with Ayanda Nyathi.
“40% of our households in this country are dependent on welfare, on remittances, which means effectively there’s no one whose waking up in the morning to go to work.
Not only does this rob people of their dignity but it also means we end up with a divided society of those who work and those who don’t work.
The fix for that is to invest heavily in the township economy which is why we’ve invested R220 billion on the table, we want to make sure we stimulate micro-enterprise by using extended public works programmes to attract particularly youth where there’s high levels of unemployment.
I want to ensure that youth in particular get National Civilian Service, where they can spend a year, six months spent on an internship and the other 6-months working.
This way in an economy that is growing we can achieve that, and it’s effectively 2 million jobs over the next 5-years.”
BOSA leader Mmusi Maimane promises a job in every household
Where is the money to address unemployment going to come from?
According to Maimane, South Africa doesn’t have a money problem instead the leadership shortfall is what is holding the country back from addressing unemployment and other issues.
Wasteful expenditure by government officials and priority spend is not being directed to economic activity.
“At this point in time much of our expenses are driven towards not only debt servicing cost but also keeping a bloated administration on the table.
On two fronts, one I think we need to enter into a genuine conversation about how we deal with South Africa’s debt, and how do we ensure that even on payment terms we can free up resources to be able to invest.
Secondly, I suggested what is called a ‘jobs and justice fund’ which allows companies particularly those who benefitted historically under apartheid to be able to contribute towards a fund that is managed by both private and public players so that we can stimulate funding into productive activity.
Lastly, it’s about materializing some of the assets in restructuring some of the state-owned enterprises so that we’re clear we can use the fiscal revenue from that to drive economic activity.”
WATCH: Mmusi Maimane’s full interview with Ayanda Nyathi
Also read: “We are certain of victory!” Ramaphosa confident ANC will win the 2024 elections
