Faizel Patel, 2016-03-14
Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan says South Africa has not created enough new tools of engagement between politicians and civil society to address problems facing the country.
Gordhan was addressing a gathering of the Socio-Economic Future of South Africa (SEFSA) initiative, being led by religious leaders, business and community organisations at the wanderers club on Saturday.
Archbishop Thabo Makgoba announced the formation of the initiative last week which aims to address various crises facing South Africa.
Gordhan says there needs to be more engagement between civics society, political parties and leadership in the country.
He says summits like the SEFSA can act as a mediating platform to bring together civil society and different parties to discuss issues affecting the country.
“It requires goodwill on both sides and just a minimum level of trust. Ask Roelf Meyer how we operated with Cyril Rampahosa when negotiations broke down. And all we had was what I call operational trust.”
Corruption, socio-economic inequalities and increasing mistrust of the country’s leaders have been listed as some of South Africa’s major issues.
The SEFSA initiative has now set itself a five-year target to stimulate public debate and implement practical solutions.
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