Talk to us, bankers tell Zuma

Johannesburg - The Banking Association of SA on Friday called on President Jacob Zuma to "engage" with the industry to find an "appropriate regulatory framework" for the sector.

It wants a framework that would avoid unnecessary costs, duplication and heavy compliance.

The association's MD, Cas Coovadia, said the organisation welcomed the president's state of the nation address and its focus on job creation, crime and education.

Zuma also told parliament that the government was impressed with the resilience the local financial sector showed during the global financial crisis.

A R9bn jobs fund and R20bn tax incentive scheme were announced.

Coovadia said that, while these were welcome, additional funds would only assist if the government improved its capacity to manage the funds effectively.

"A dynamic partnership with business can help in this regard," Coovadia said.

On Zuma's call to business to help with job creation, Coovadia said consistency was needed in creating a policy environment to enable business to create jobs.

He called for a resolution of the "decent jobs" debate so that full attention could be given to job creation.

The government was urged to address capacity at municipalities to enable lending institutions to build more houses in the low-income market, he said.