Speeches

Bafana Dube, National Deputy President

Office bearers of the BBCBE

Guests

Comrades

Thank you for this opportunity to address you this evening and be part of the celebration of your achievements as black business persons in the built environment

I am sure I do not have to tell you about the significance of infrastructure development in our country. The ANC has long identified infrastructure provision as a critical lever for growth. Providing roads, dams, electricity and water transmission reticulation, social amenities, schools, and houses enables a better, safer environment for our communities and is key to economic growth. Providing infrastructure also creates jobs and income-generating opportunities, especially for previously disadvantaged groups.

However, I am sure you will tell me that more can be done to support you and your companies and much more infrastructure must be provided. The reasons for the lack of infrastructure spending is not only that the state has insufficient resources but that municipalities, the primary infrastructure provider, are not able to spend the money or spend it effectively and efficiently.

One of the challenges our country faces is dysfunctional municipalities due to a lack of competence, corruption, and capture. One of the priorities of the ANC Veterans League is to encourage our members to interact at a local and community level on service delivery—both to support communities in holding councillors accountable and to support and push councillors to be more responsive and caring.

This is one of the pillars of the ANC renewal programme. Other pillars involve reviewing how branches work, tightening membership, increasing political education and taking tough stands on ethics and against corruption and impunity. Just this weekend, veterans were part of a train-the-trainers programme for a foundation course for ANC members. We believe that only if the ANC is renewed and our structures are revived will communities be able to reconnect with the ANC, and the ANC’s fortunes can be turned around.

Colleagues and comrades, this is because the ANC is the only political party with the experience and aptitude to govern.  While we are no longer a majority party, we continue to govern in the GNU and in most provinces and municipalities.

Our biggest threat lies not with our GNU partners, who, while sometimes, are petty and opportunist, believe in constitutionalism and the rule of law.  Our most significant threats come from those who  do not.  Those that support and run the business forums, the extortion rackets, copper cable thieves, kidnapping syndicates, etc.  They have no interest in service delivery but in extracting from the state while preventing genuine businesses from making a living. 

Sadly, significant resources need to be invested in, for example, security around construction sites and drones to protect goods in train wagons. This means that not sufficient resources are deployed for the sector’s transformation—for training and empowerment.  While violent contestation on who gets jobs and sub-contracts on construction projects, often deters business people like yourself from growing your companies in this sector.

The mafia and kingpins that orchestrate these activities, very often -as we have seen in the mining sector – exploit the vulnerability of the poorest and most marginalised of our people. Until we are able to provide the unemployed with productive jobs at decent wages, this can persist.  The state through the construction sector, particularly, through labour intensive activities, should continue to enable such opportunities.

To those of you gathered here who have persevered and thrived, I congratulate you.  I wish you well and hope that you remain patriotic South Africans committed to building a better life for all.

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