He might no longer be the Reserve Bank governor, but his voice cannot be ignored or dismissed. Yesterday Tito Mboweni, at a University of the Witwatersrand graduation ceremony, said the country's economy would hit junk status if the government did not commit to spending ceilings announced in the Budget.Fitch and Standard & Poor's have rated South Africa just one level above junk.Junk status will make it considerably more difficult to attract investment into the country and also reduce deficit growth.The Chinese deal we recently sealed will not be enough to save us from economic decline if junk status becomes a reality.In his address Mboweni advised that President Jacob Zuma and his team start with the basics:Reinforce the Central Bank's independence;Respect the independence of the judiciary and Chapter Nine institutions; andHonour Budget targets.But the government is going to have a great deal of difficulty in reviving the economy and encouraging direct foreign investment, if our political turmoil persists.Zuma seems confused about his presidential duties when he states that his party comes before the country.The continued attacks on Chapter Nine institutions also send the wrong message to the markets: that we are weak on stamping out corruption.The billions lost to graft do not inspire confidence in an investor.Particularly worrying is how many of the officials in charge of public institutions believe they can do as they please.We fully agree with Mboweni that we dare not fail. We call on Zuma to call an emergency meeting with all stakeholders and discuss new ways to revive our economy.China alone cannot solve our problems.It is time we stopped pontificating and admitted that all is not well in the Republic.Let us act now and protect our future...