President Cyril Ramaphosa has declared December 15 as a public holiday in celebration of the victorious Springboks who made history by winning the coveted Web Ellis trophy for the fourth time in Paris on Saturday.
The Boks, who are expected back in the country on Tuesday, narrowly beat New Zealand’s All Black 12-11 in the tournament on Saturday night.
In an address to the nation on Monday night, Ramaphosa said: “We declare this to be a day of hope, a day of celebration and unity. Our sports men and women have shown us what is possible.”
He urged South Africans to support the country’s cricket team, the Proteas who are currently playing in the Cricket World Cup in India.
The Springboks are set to embark on a victory tour around the country and Ramaphosa said he would receive them at the Union Buildings later this week.
While most people were looking forward to the holiday announcement — which the president hinted on a week ago — some in the private sector expressed fear it would take away production days.
This stems from frequent assertions by business that SA already has too many holidays in its calendar year.
Riaan Grobler, head of advisory services at private investment and wealth management company, Everest Wealth, said SA, which is faced by low economic growth, high joblessness and persistent power cuts, could ill afford another public holiday.
“The economy is on its knees due to the ongoing load-shedding as well as transport, logistics and infrastructure problems. SA cannot afford to give up a single day of productivity,” Grobler said, noting that the country loses productive days every year due to strikes and loses billions of rand per day if the economy comes to a standstill.
“The people who do not work on a holiday must still be paid. Employers will also have to pay overtime pay for people who do work.” Instead of another public holiday the country needed to look at how the economy could grow in order to promote job creation and prosperity, he said.
“If the government is serious about achieving any potential economic recovery, urgent action must be taken. The government should instead focus on getting reforms in place to remove the country's logistics and energy constraints so that the economy can grow.”
In his address the president rebuffed this, saying much was being done to grow the economy, fight crime and create jobs. He said his administration had made “significant progress” in reforming the economy and making it more inclusive.
“We are on track to resolve the most important constraints on economic growth by stabilising our energy supply and fixing our logistics network. The reforms under way will propel economic growth in SA in the years to come, resulting in a stable supply of electricity, a working railway, and more jobs for all South Africans.”
Ramaphosa said the government has collectively embarked on a journey of economic reform, which will set “our country on a path to higher growth and more jobs”.
“The concerted efforts of all South Africans are starting to show results in many areas. If we take a short term view of our current challenges, we may not see the transformation that is under way or the benefits that these reforms will have for our country.
“I am confident that through the actions we are taking now, we will overcome the challenges we face and build a society that works for all of its people. We have much more to do. But like the Springboks, we have the determination and commitment to overcome any challenge.”
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.