WOOLWORTHS chairman Simon Susman yesterday said the South African government was not doing enough to create jobs and called for laws to be changed to make it easier to hire and fire workers.
“I am concerned about the South African economy,” Susman said after the clothing and food retailer’s annual general meeting. “I think that the government’s following of a large raft of populist legislation is keeping millions of people out of jobs.”
Electricity shortages and strikes are set to restrict South Africa’s growth to 1.4 percent this year, the lowest since a 2009 recession, Treasury forecasts show. Susman said he drew encouragement from the government’s willingness to regularly meet with business leaders – something that did not happen five years ago.
While the engagement had not resulted in notable action, there was a good chance it could bring about a shift in thinking, he said.
Susman’s comments come a day after Johann Rupert, the billionaire chairman of Richemont and Remgro, berated the government for failing to address corruption and power shortages.
Rupert said that not only was the country increasingly difficult to defend abroad, but that it was difficult to create jobs without an efficient supply of energy. – Bloomberg