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Johannesburg - South Africa's policies are inconsistent and make potential foreign investors feel uncertain about the country, DA leader Mmusi Maimane told the American Chamber of Commerce in SA on Monday.
"I think if I speak to many businesspeople, they say we want to trade with South Africa, we want to invest in South Africa, what we are uncertain of is what will South Africa look like in a few months or a few years," he said at a breakfast in Sandton.
Economic direction
Maimane said he faced the same frustrations when it came to the policy situation, which he claimed was incoherent.
"I face the frustration of a lacklustre confused leadership given by the ANC.
"I face the difficult frustration that on one day we agree the economic future of South Africa must be expressed by how we use the National Development Plan and on another day I come back and I find other people saying 'no, no, no, no we going to take this policy direction'," he said.
These inconsistencies and incoherence meant that investors had no confidence in knowing where the country's economic direction is going.
If South Africa was going to achieve economic growth it had to decide once and for all what policy direction it was taking.
Irresponsible statements
Maimane said irresponsible statements were also scaring investors away.
He used an example of President Jacob Zuma during the State of the Nation Address talking about stopping foreigners from owning land in the country.
"Without fail the ANC government has given up on the people of South Africa instead of focusing on resources on solving the unemployment crisis.
"I think they are caught up in a different programme," Maimane said.
The biggest failure of the ANC was its inability to provide quality education and skills development for the youth.
"I don't believe the ANC's greatest crime is Nkandla. It is the failure of providing education for all South Africans from all walks of life.
"We need to replace this government with one that puts the needs of the people first," he said.
