Fewer rules and more enforcement

Public funding should inspect compliance with existing regulations as opposed to putting up more red tape

- Jaco Visser

We need less government intervention in this country. Especially if we want to kickstart the crumbling economy.

Two recent events have prompted consideration of whether citizens, businesses and the government are taking a feasible route in their discourse around how to get economic growth back on track – and at a much faster pace at that.

First off was a recent discussion on whether to allow white-owned businesses to enter the township retail market through spaza shops. The second was the ANC’s Economic Transformation Committee’s 31-page discussion document on reconstructing, growing and transforming South Africa’s economy.

Both of these examples have something in common: calls for greater government intervention. The ruling party went as far as proposing state-owned hatcheries in a bid to boost investment in aquaculture. I’d suggest that instead of wasting public resources on growing mussels, abalone and oysters, prioritizing urgent amendments to labor legislation will have a greater impact on the aquaculture industry, not to mention the economy at large.

In the 16 July issue of finweek, contributor Andile Ntingi mentioned that foreigners own a sizeable chunk of the retail market in townships and rural areas, which can easily be verified by driving through these places. But we need to gauge why this is the case and whether more government red tape will in fact put more retail businesses in the hands of locals.