Mat Cuthbert: ANC Ministers act as “handbrakes” on growth

The African National Congress (ANC) has unveiled its Economic Action Plan in the wake of the Democratic Alliance’s (DA’s) Plan to Turbocharge the Economy. In this interview with BizNews, the DA's Head of Policy Mat Cuthbert speaks about the similarities and the differences. He further describes how - despite the best efforts of many of his colleagues in their departments as ministers of the DA - they have been unable to contribute towards growth and jobs in the way that they would have wanted to. “And the reason for that is because ANC ministers have acted as handbrakes on growth and failed to implement the kind of reforms that are required…” Thus he remains “highly skeptical” that his colleagues within the ANC and its partners within the GNU “have the ability to be able to implement the required reforms at the necessary speed or depth”.
He calls on voters to strengthen the DA's hand in the upcoming elections “so that we are able to do more and we are able to do more quicker”. He adds: “I think that it's only a matter of time, particularly in light of next year's local government election, as well as the 2029 election, before the ANC are a thing of the past.”