Time to ensure majority of people are involved in economy: ANC's Mkhize

16 June 2017 - 11:23 By Ernest Mabuza
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Zweli Mkhize. File photo
Zweli Mkhize. File photo
Image: Supplied

The biggest challenge now facing the country is to ensure that the majority of its people are meaningfully involved in the economy‚ ANC treasurer-general Zweli Mkhize said on Thursday.

Mkhize was addressing an Association for the Advancement of Black Accountants of South Africa event in Johannesburg on the topic “What is Radical Economic Transformation?”

Mkhize said there was a negotiated political settlement in the 1990s to resolve the transition from apartheid to democracy and there were not enough discussions on the economic issues.

He said the problems the country now faced were that of unemployment‚ inequality and poverty.

“Progress has been made in other areas. There has been a lot of emphasis on service delivery‚ such as provision of water‚ sanitation‚ housing and roads. We must now start tackling these economic challenges.”

Mkhize said government had for the past 20 years into democracy spent the period stabilising the country.

Mkhize said radical economic transformation referred to the change in the ownership‚ management and control of the economy.

“Radical refers to the speed with which this economic transformation must happen‚” Mkhize said.

He said government must ensure there was growth‚ but also inclusivity in the economy.

Mkhize said one of the challenges that the country faced was the lack of representation of black people in top management of companies‚ which still remained the preserve of white men.

It was important to involve the largest number of South Africans in the transformation of the economy‚ unlike in the past where black economic empowerment was for the benefit of the few‚ Mkhize said

-TimesLIVE

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