Floyd Shivambu calls Tito Mboweni's growth plan 'imperialism in action'

30 August 2019 - 11:18
By Unathi Nkanjeni
EFF deputy president Floyd Shivambu says finance minister Tito Mboweni's plan for the economy was 'drafted by consultants'.
Image: Gallo Images / Daily Sun / Lindile Mbontsi EFF deputy president Floyd Shivambu says finance minister Tito Mboweni's plan for the economy was 'drafted by consultants'.

EFF deputy president Floyd Shivambu has slammed finance minister Tito Mboweni's plan for economic growth, saying it is an "imperialism in action".

Mboweni unveiled the economic growth plan on Tuesday and called upon South Africans to comment.

He said the plan was an attempt to translate the broad outcomes of inclusive growth, economic transformation and competitiveness.

Mboweni said the strategy was partly a response to SA's decline in the global competitiveness rankings - falling from 44th to 67th between 2007 and 2018.

In an interview on eNCA, Shivambu said he believed the plan was drawn up by "consultants".

He said he doubts that it would lead to job creation and condemned the proposals for deviating from the ANC's previous National Development Plan, adding that it contained a number of inconsistencies.

Shivambu pointed out the plan did not mention anything about the "fourth industrial revolution".

"We are going to give a detailed response to what appears to be a consultant's contribution on what should be the economic growth in SA," he said.

Shivambu also raised an issue with the policy document for allegedly privatising state-owned enterprises such as Eskom and Transnet.

"It is a way of deepening neoliberalism and it's not going to improve people's conditions. It's not going to create jobs," he said.

"It is a fundamental departure from the NDP [National Development Plan] commitments, form the ANC's manifesto commitments in terms of job creation and economic growth."


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