Mr A. M. Rosholt (Executive Chairman of Barlow Rand Limited)said:

“

There are now ominous signs appearing in Zimbabwe which are of grat concern to any of us with business interests there. The same pattern is emerging (as in the Zambia). State participation in the private sector and in individual companies – nationalisation of land and agricultural resources – statutory uneconomic minimum wages and a state marketing board for all minerals, which taken together have already made the mining sector uncompetitive in export markets. A stock exchange which is rapidly becoming a non-event, incapable of carrying out its traditional role of providing capital for the economy. We must ask ourselves whether these steps would have been taken if the majority of the population had shared in the past of the fruits of the economy.”

He then goes on to ask if we in South Africa are not on the same road.

The fact that in South Africa the masses have been denied “the fruits” during the Apartheid years should not blind them from seeing what is happening in our northern border.

Let the seed of liberty grow in our part of the world so that all can share in the fruits of our land.

Elsewhere in his talk Rosholt says:

“In general the state can obstruct the working of the private enterprise system in two ways. Firstly by participating in the economy, particularly where it is in direct competition with the private sector. Secondly by enacting excessive and restrictive controls and regulations.”

I am afraid to say that many of the policies that we have seen being followed in South Afica lately has not been in the right direction – they have been interventionist to the detriment of economic growth.

We can only hope that sense will prevail…