Economy needs radical transformation

South Africa's president Jacob Zuma may not be a popular leader owing to his controversial past, but we don't think many will disagree with him as he pushes for greater economic transformation in his country. As his second and last term comes to a close, the ANC president said his administration will focus on introducing a sweeping programme of radical economic transformation. He laid out this economic transformation plan during last week's State of the Nation Address, emphasising greatly that the structure of the economy will be transformed through industrialisation, broad-based economic empowerment and strengthening and expanding the role of the state in the economy. There is no doubt that a radical shift in policy is needed to transform our economy for the type of growth that leads to poverty alleviation. Poverty reduction has been a political slogan for quite some time now. But our leaders don't seem to have the guts to push for such radical economic transformation in the same manner the ANC is trying to do. For many years we have been too apologetic in our national discourse when it comes to transforming the economy, where income distribution is highly skewed. The sad reality is more and more people are wallowing in need and this backlash has the potential to threaten our collective sense of humanity. Namibia, like many other African countries, is resource-rich and it is up to the political dispensation to tackle and address the disparities between the haves and have-nots before the situation further deteriorates. The glaring inequality between the rich and poor is there for all to see. In fact, it is a gap that continues to widen, with many previously disadvantaged Namibians still living in squalor compared to a minority few. Programmes like NEEEF are as not as bad, but I think there is a need to push for more reforms to improve our economy, which must be characterised by more equitable benefit-sharing and getting rid of inequality.