Economic freedom is about creating an environment where individuals have the right to work, produce, consume and invest in their own way. It is a proven path to prosperity, offering individuals the dignity of self-determination and the benefits of a thriving economy.
Onerous minimum conditions of employment, such as the compulsory minimum wage, or other regulatory conditions imposed on employers, all serve to consign women and young people in South Africa, in large numbers, to the ranks of the long-term unemployed.
Government’s responsibility is to create an environment that will increase employment opportunities, reduce unemployment, and reduce poverty.
This article was first published by BizNews on 5 October 2023 The behaviour of some members of Parliament and other office-bearers in government leaves the observer with
The Job Seekers Exemption Certificate (JSEC) is a mechanism that could grant relief to people who have been unemployed for six months or more and cannot find jobs that pay minimum wage.
Removing the causes of mass youth unemployment in SA would have multiple positive consequences for jobseekers.
If electricity generation, transmission and distribution had been in private hands, with no barriers to entry preventing competitors from entering the market, this situation would not have arisen.
In the past South Africa had a chance to play a key role in the world’s markets but some of the incumbent politicians and sectors of the population are not showing the characteristics needed to build a winning country.
The existing ideological opposition to the transfer of monopoly government industries and services to private ownership is most unfortunate. If the process does not occur, or is delayed, South African consumers will be the poorer.
The steps taken must offer hope of economic betterment to the millions of South Africans who are jobless and unskilled. The purpose of this paper is to suggest a way in which this can be done.
