Deputy President Paul Mashatile has held a dialogue with business leaders hosted by the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE)

During Friday’s meeting, captains of industry, CEOs, senior executives and business associations agreed to collaborate to rebuild business and investor confidence and acknowledged that they can play a role in resolving some of the challenges South Africa faces.

The Deputy President welcomed the engagement with private business and called for an annual meeting of the type be held annually.

“As a means of moving forward, engagement with the JSE-listed companies will be institutionalised for future engagement and as a platform to expedite the implementation of the commitments made,” he said.

In a statement, the Presidency said the dialogue was focused on how government and business can work together to address the country’s socio-economic challenges.

“The dialogue focused on issues affecting and hindering the private sector’s ability to play a meaningful role in working with government to create a conducive environment for economic prosperity.

“The event provided the Deputy President an opportunity to speak to the major deliverables of his portfolio, policy reforms as well as steps being taken to enhance investor confidence, which touches on energy security, the economy, social compacting, crime, corruption, foreign direct investment and international relations and trade.

“The captains of industry raised issues of concern affecting their constituents, particularly those relating to their ability to operate efficiently. They urged government to work with a greater sense of urgency in attending to the current energy crisis, crime and corruption, and processing of applications relating to statutory obligations hindering their ability to conduct business effectively,” the statement read.

A meeting with Western Cape-based JSE-listed companies is expected to be held soon.

Source: South African Government News Agency