Speaking at the BizNews Investment Conference in Hermanus yesterday, the Deputy Minister of Finance, Mr Ashor Sarupen, struck a positive note, saying that the policies needed for South Africa to stage an economic turnaround were within the country’s reach if the correct decisions were taken.

He recalled how, as a young politician, he faced a rival who stated that South Africa did not need numbers on charts to be successful as a country. This, he said, was quite misguided and that the numbers on the charts, especially in relation to economic performance, were essential if South Africa was to be a success.

According to Sarupen, the basic underpinnings of the economy needed to be secured first for long-term economic reforms to be successful. Key to getting that right, he suggested, were reforms to energy policy, freight and port logistics, and local government.

These reforms, he said, were all within the power of the government to execute and that if it did so, a stable and prosperous future would not be difficult to secure.

The Common Sense hopes to publish a transcript of the Deputy Minister’s remarks this weekend.