Ramaphosa talks tough on Durban violence and intimidation

President Cyril Ramaphosa has again preached unity to the business and political circles in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), in another bid to stamp out acts of violence and intimidation in the province.

Speaking at the 170th anniversary gala dinner of the Durban Chamber of Commerce and Industry in eThekwini on Wednesday, Ramaphosa said there would be zero tolerance for lawlessness as protests in Durban and other parts persist.

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“We are just days away from an election and the political climate is charged,” he said, referring to the key upcoming local government elections on 4 November.

“There are those who are exploiting public sentiment around illegal migration to stir up communities and to provide cover for criminality.”

The recent acts of looting and damage to infrastructure have again been linked to anti-immigration campaigns by lobby groups like March and March who believe undocumented foreign nationals are putting strain on public resources.

He said the tensions have created uncertainty for business. While he said these incidents have been isolated, government will leave nothing to chance, fearing a repeat of the July 2021 unrest.

Ramaphosa has already taken what would ordinarily be a measure of last resort by deploying the South African National Defense Force in KZN where 510 soldiers will bolster law enforcement.

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Read: SA deploys troops in restive province before elections

“This demands vigilance from all of us, including the business community. Just as we refused to be turned against each other before, we will refuse to be divided now.”

Ramaphosa told captains of industry at the event that doubling down on protecting lives and property amid the tensions in the KZN was critical to secure the province’s economic recovery.

“Durban remains the busiest container port in sub-Saharan Africa,” Ramaphosa said this is among the promising signs that KZN (especially Durban) is turning the economic tide, despite domestic and global pressures.

If unaddressed, the president warned that instability would impact on investment, setting the province back on its progress.

Investment

Part of the province’s recovery includes steps to protect Durban’s manufacturing base and safeguard local jobs, which requires billions of rand in investment.

Businesses that have invested in this city must be able to compete on a fair and level playing field, Ramaphosa added.

“We need to take forward the work to revitalise the city’s manufacturing and industrial zones and reduce the costs of doing business.”

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Part of that is also the commitment to address the erosion in service delivery, which Ramaphosa was not shy to talk tough about.

“There is still a significant infrastructure backlog that is constraining greater investment and better services for the people of the city.

“That is why we commend the eThekwini Metro Council on the adoption of the Development and Service Delivery Partnering Policy Framework in response to concerns about the delays and red tape associated with implementing public-private partnerships.

“We now need to put that framework to use to implement key infrastructure projects.”

He again stressed that the municipal elections would be key to ensuing policy certainty and building on progress, even in tough times.

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