Business was committed to finding solutions for the country’s skill-shortage problems, South African business leaders told President Thabo Mbeki on Thursday.
Briefing the media following Thursday’s meeting between the Business Working Group and Mbeki at Tuynhuys in Cape Town, Safika Holdings deputy chairperson Saki Macozoma said business had assured Mbeki that it was committed to working with the government in creating kills required by the country.
”What we have reported to the president today [Thursday] is that we have done a study to try to find out how much business was spending [on skills development] and what capacity it has got.
”We will make sure that as many of our members put their shoulder to the wheel in this effort to increase … skills, and in doing so we need ourselves either to create the capacity or to find an agency that would do it for us,” Macozoma said.
Electricity capacity problems and crime were some of the issues discussed in the meeting.
In terms of crime, Macozoma said the challenge was to ensure that there was an integrated justice system that was responsive to the crime ”that we find in the country”.
He said both business and the government agreed that the introduction of independent electricity producers, and the use of renewable energy, would go a long way to addressing the current power-supply problems. — Sapa