Through you Deputy Speaker, hon Deputy President, rating agencies evaluate the country's economic and political environment to determine a respective credit rating which gives investors insight into the level of risk associated with investing in that particular country.
Credit rating downgrades would make it more expensive for the government to borrow money, increase debt service and cost, and cause the rand to depreciate in driving out inflation, thereby also increasing our tax burden. With the current load shedding set to significantly damage the economic growth and a number of economic policy papers floating about from the Finance Minister's towards an economic strategy to the President's economic stimulus recovery plan, to long standing and sometimes forgotten National Development Plan.
Has the Finance Minister's economic recovery plan been accepted by all within the Ruling Party including its
alliances, and when can the citizens of South Africa hope to see the roll- out of the plan? Thank you. [Time expired.]