He addressed businesspeople while attending the Mpumalanga Show Saturday 31 August 2019.
South Africa’s deputy president DD Mabuza has repeated he will continue to support President Cyril Ramaphosa while internal divisions threaten to ravage Luthuli House.
Mabuza spoke during his visit to the Mpumalanga Show Saturday morning 1 September 2019 while scores were attending the annual trade show at the Mbombela stadium.
He told businesspeople that the reason he supports Ramaphosa is “because I know he wants better things for our country”. He said the country has been “through a lot of disruption” and that the President was working towards fixing this.
He said in the past years the people of South Africa saw “the morals went down” and what Ramaphosa was busy doing “is good for all of us”.
“I will support the President in all of his endeavours,” said Mabuza, adding he doesn’t have any “wish” of being President.
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He said when farmers from all racial groups come together to the show they are actually “building a positive spirit”.
He said it was important that all South Africans work together for the country despite their skin colours.
“And that a positive spirit will lift all of us. It will propel all of us to move forward. If we can get 80% of our people, who love their country, to do everything for the betterment of their country we can win,” he told the farmers Saturday midday.
He thanked them for making sure that the people of South Africa continue to get food everyday, through using the land to grow food.
Mabuza said he himself was also coming to join them as a farmer.
“The President is a farmer. I think the deputy should also be a farmer,” he said to chuckles.
Mabuza and businessmen Brian Ring and Themba Sgudla are actually founders of the show. They started it in 2017 to showcase what the various companies in the province offer in the main economic streams of agriculture, forestry, mining and housing.
He said he had to support an initiative like this when it was being presented to him back then while he was Mpumalanga Premier “because it is based on sound vision”.
“This Mpumalanga Show could not then have been held at any opportune time than now as an interactive exhibition that will showcase the people, products, programmes and partnerships required to unlock economic growth and employment potential in the agriculture, forestry, tourism, wildlife and related sectors,” said the deputy president.
He added that such was aimed at diversifying the economy “so that our capabilities are strengthened with a focus on increasing value-addition, skills development, localisation and employment creation”.
“In my view, the success of this show especially this year and beyond, lies on how the organisers manage to put together a serious show that attracts key industry players and present to the public a value for money,” said Mabuza.
(edited by ZK)
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