Switched on with Cape Chamber CEO, John Lawson: Can government deliver us from the Eskom dark ages?

The fanfare is over, the red carpet rolled away. But in the wake of SONA are we any clearer on how the government plans to address load shedding and the numerous other self-inflicted dramas impacting our daily lives?

Ramaphosa told us what we already know – that we are in a self-inflicted state of disaster. Given government’s track record on energy policy, appointing another Minister to tackle electricity does not instill confidence - quite the opposite.

There is also a deep sense of déjà vu as once again the President exits the podium having rattled off a lengthy string of promises, highlights, reassurances, and patriotic sound bites that sound less convincing every year.

Buzzwords like fast-track and tax incentives roll easily off the tongue, but what do they actually mean? No amount of fast-tracking Kusile Power Station – one of the SONA promises – will deliver us from the Eskom dark ages. And the promise to implement a tax incentive for rooftop solar comes without any meaningful detail on how that will work.

As a Chamber, we believe only a profound paradigm change will bring about the interventions necessary to restructure the energy landscape, and to generate the economic growth vital to our national development. Our current trajectory, as an economy and a nation, should be of concern to everyone.

Fortunately, there is a counter-narrative of optimism and collaboration that was much in evidence this week at a business breakfast attended by a large delegation of business people from the European Union. In attendance were almost 40 heads of missions and consul-generals from the EU; representatives from the Western Cape Government and the City of Cape Town; and some of us from the Cape Chamber.

All exchanging thoughts and views on doing business in the Western Cape.

What emerged was this: despite all our challenges and current economic woes, South Africa is still an attractive business proposition, with the same fundamental allure that has drawn visitors and investors in the past.

It was a reminder of the strong partnerships underpinning our economic relations, and a reminder too of the private-public collaboration needed to resolve economic choke points.

The Chamber believes only collective action of this magnitude will ensure a more memorable SONA in 2024.