PRIVATISATION
25 May 2016 By PDSNETThe sale of government assets to the private sector. The union movement in South Africa has been implacably opposed to privatisation since 1994 because they see it as resulting in retrenchments. For this reason, privatisation has generally been a dirty word in the new South Africa. Since Cyril Ramaphosa became president there has been a definite move towards involving the private sector in more aspects of running the country. The word "privatisation" remains unacceptable to many in the ANC and certainly in the union movement and the more populist political parties like the EFF and MK, but the reality is that many areas of government have been and are being taken over by the private sector - such as education, health care, postal services, and security. President Ramaphosa initiated the Vulindlela project in 2020 and its impact on the electricity sector has been significant. With the appointment of the Government of National Unity (GNU) after the 2024 elections, it appears that the private sector will be involved in more functions which were traditionally handled by the government - such as the rail and port logistics of Transnet. The scope for public/private partnerships appears to have been greatly increased.
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