LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Stop the mollycoddling and open the competition

New laws requiring certain suppliers to government to be 100% black-owned are affirmative action gone mad. Madness can be defined as taking anything to its logical conclusion. This ever-tightening BEE reflects desperation on the part of a sinking ANC. When will that once great party realise that the majority of black voters (few of whom ever benefit from BEE, but many of whom suffer unemployment) oppose that policy?

In any event, when has mollycoddling ever produced successful entrepreneurs? Cotton wool is the enemy of initiative and application. Open-to-all-races competition is the only way to success. Redress is necessary but should take the form, by the state, of enhancing early childhood education and a limited (say, 15%) tender price preference. And, by the private sector, of tax incentives rewarding high BEE points.

If we are to grow — the only way to a better life for all — the state should limit its intervention in the economy to health and safety issues.

Willem Cronje

Cape Town

Grassroots sport and the creative economy matter more than World Cup junkets

The recent reports regarding the department of sport, arts & culture’s expenditure on a delegation to the Fifa World Cup raise important questions about government spending priorities and the responsible use of public funds.

Supporting South African teams on the international stage is important. However, such expenditure must be balanced against the pressing need to invest in grassroots sport, the creative economy and community development. Athletes, artists, musicians, actors, and cultural practitioners continue to face inadequate funding, poor infrastructure and limited opportunities to develop their talents.

Many community sports clubs lack basic equipment and facilities. Talented young athletes are often unable to realise their potential because they cannot afford coaching, equipment, or travel. Likewise, many artists and cultural organisations struggle to access sustainable funding despite their big contribution to employment, tourism, social cohesion, and economic growth.

While South Africa faces severe fiscal constraints, every rand of public expenditure should deliver measurable value. Greater investment in grassroots sport and the arts would create opportunities for young people, strengthen communities, and contribute to long-term economic development.

South Africa possesses world-class sporting and creative talent. Building that talent pipeline through sustained local investment will deliver far greater returns than excessive expenditure on overseas delegations.

The government must ensure that its spending decisions reflect sound governance, fiscal discipline, and a commitment to developing the country’s human potential.

Tsepo Mhlongo

Gauteng leader Build One South Africa

Ban single-use plastic carrier bags and stop killing the planet

It is incomprehensible that the government messes around with so many inconsequential issues while plastic is killing our planet.

There is ample evidence that plastic chemicals are in everything. They break down but never go away. If Greenpeace is concerned about plastic, our government most certainly should be. This is an issue that affects everything on our planet, yet the government allows plastic converters and plastic resellers to continue to ply their trade regardless.

In the city of Cape Town, which I call home, I addressed this issue with our mayor, Geordin Hill-Lewis, last month. Acknowledging that single-use plastic packaging is a problem, he saw no urgency in taking immediate action. What a pity that Hill-Lewis and my grandchildren might not eat black mussels hand-picked from the rocks in False Bay, as they are filter feeders collecting micro- and nanoplastics in the seawater. These plastics accumulate and, when consumed, have serious health consequences.

It is time for the government to ban single-use plastic carrier bags, invest in reuse and refill, and hold polluters accountable.

Andrew Pollock

Via email

Communications regulator is accountable to parliament, not ministers

The article, “Pick n Pay raises the bar in the delivery app race” (July 17), refers.

Toby Shapshak spoils an otherwise delightful column with a strange reference to the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa) as “intransigent” for refusing “to take any policy directions from the communications minister”.

Common sense dictates that I remind the minister and Shapshak of Icasa’s constitutional mandate as a Chapter 9 institution: “No person or organ of state may interfere with the functioning of these [Chapter 9 institutions, including Icasa].

“These institutions are accountable to the National Assembly.”

I resolve to abide by the decisions of parliament on this important matter.

Mothobi Mutloatse

Observatory