Thank you, Speaker. Thank you, Mr President, for your feedback. Such visits give us an opportunity to showcase the many great things that South Africa has to offer the world in terms of trade and investment. The key issue, however, is the credibility of your message.
Investment bankers followed the visit with great interest. Yet many remain sceptical as to the commitment to push through difficult measures, and also fear that the political difficulties within the tripartite alliance will result in additional spending and tax hikes.
You mentioned nationalisation, Mr President. During your visit you stated emphatically that nationalisation was not on the cards, yet the ANC Youth League president Julius Malema continues with this debate. [Interjections.] What government fails to understand is that investors perceive this and many other statements from the ANC to be an attack on property rights, the basic building blocks for a sound economy and the very reason why people invest in economies such as ours - and we want to attract investment.
Mr President, what steps will you be taking to ensure that the message regarding our economy, emanating from the ANC and its potential future leadership, is coherent, noncontradictory and sends the right signal to investors whose money to fund essential projects, such as Eskom infrastructure, we are hoping to attract? Thank you. [Applause.]