The economic crisis facing the country is serious and, to confront it, requires the very best from leaders, business, government, labour and other social partners, business organisation BLSA CEO Busi Mavuso says.

She indicates that leadership needs to be focused on driving the implementation of plans and policies that will mobilise the country’s resources to drive a recovery that will lead to sustainable economic growth.

Mavuso says that while President Cyril Ramaphosa’s announcement over the weekend of a shift to a Level 2 lockdown will enable much more economic activity to resume, this is not on its own, a strategy for a recovery.

“The recovery strategy needs a comprehensive set of economic reforms to drive a rapid turnaround in economic fortunes. Yet we are still stuck at the talking phase of those reforms. At a National Economic Development and Labour Council (Nedlac) meeting of government, business, labour and community leaders last week, detailed plans were discussed.

"Business, united through Business for South Africa, presented an overview of the plan it has developed over the past months. The detailed proposal numbers about 900 slides. Organised labour presented detailed plans too. There are common elements to these, such as the need to auction spectrum and grow investment," says Mavuso.

She points out that government also delivered "a plan of sorts".

"However, the 17 slides presented a fragmented and uncoordinated vision that was described as a draft with no official status. It appeared to have been pulled together at the last minute from a variety of different sources without any discussion between them.

"The energy vision, for example, is oddly focused on gas and mentions nuclear, but makes no mention of green energy. Elsewhere, the document talked of the need for green bonds and 'green economy interventions' as one of eight recovery priorities. This is not the same hymn sheet,” she notes.

Mavuso posits that Ramaphosa and others have put a lot of pressure on business to develop potential solutions for the challenges faced by the country.

However, she emphasises that government also has responsibilities to put together the best minds it can gather to form a coherent strategy – and then to implement it.

“There are good people – inside the Presidential Economic Advisory Council and among the analysts at the National Treasury, for example. But why are they not being mobilised to do the research to form a coherent plan? Is it a lack of leadership from the top?” she questions.

Mavuso said that the Nedlac meeting resolved that the social partners would now work together on a coordinated plan.

However, she says it seems as though government is the one social partner not pulling its weight, when it has the most crucial role to play.

“Business and labour can only do so much. Government controls the policy environment that we must all work within. We need a President-led, Cabinet-backed plan we can all get behind with a common vision. This is not something that can be done at Nedlac level. It needs clear, decisive leadership from the top,” says Mavuso.

She notes that Ramaphosa had promised a decisive economic plan with the structural reforms needed to kickstart the economy and put it back on a growth path.

“He promised in April we would have it 'within days'. It was clear from the Nedlac presentation that not much has really been done since. Business is doing its part. We have mobilised significant resources to research and develop a plan. But we need an equally robust process from government.

"We need to engage with a focused, deeply researched and nationally coordinated plan that government must lead. Yet alongside our other partners, we are still waiting for that to come.

"While we should be deeply into the implementation phase already, we are still stuck in talk shops. I feel that little more can be said beyond the obvious: as a country we will not be able to get back on our feet unless the President takes leadership of the economic recovery personally and drives a clear vision across government that we can all mobilise behind,” says Mavuso.