Article in Business Day about the DA's expectations from the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition

On Thursday 15th August, Business Day published an opinion piece by me and my fellow spokesperson on the dtic portfolio, Mlondi Mduli. 

They picked up on one of our main points, which called for the dtic to experiment with new policy ideas by lifting nearly all regulations at one or more of our special economic zones, and see how that effects investment and job creation.

When I mooted this idea at a portfolio committee meeting one of the senior official sent me a WhatsApp concurring with my suggestion - which shows that not all officials are wedded to ANC ideology or policy, giving me hope that this idea can fly.

Read the article below or online here.

Article in Business Times - Unshackle entrepreneurs from barriers to growth

The business section of the Sunday Times published an edited version of my budget speech on August 4th. Here is the clipping in three sections:

 

Corruption and misgovernance at the SA Bureau of Standards

I recently received emails from a whistleblower at SABS revealing some startling and damning information about deeply embedded corruption at the highest level - involving the board of directors and executive management. Having corroborated these allegations with someone in the know, I wrote separate letters to Minister Tau and the Acting Director General urging them to launch investigations into the allegations.

Tau, as the executive authority, is the only person who can appoint board members, while as the accounting officer for the dtic and its entities, the ADG has to take responsibility for executive level issues.

I received an acknowledgement from the ADG's office but nothing from Minister Tau's office yet.

You can read the media statement I released here.

Shortly afterwards I was copied on emails from officials at the dtic who expressed their concerns that the SABS was in dire straits and needed urgent attention. I also received videos and photos of collapsing ceilings, flooded offices and piles of discarded equipment at the SABS premises in Pretoria.

This story has a long way to run.