The Democratic Alliance (DA) said on Friday that it will not support the centralised model proposed in the National State Enterprises Bill, which it says seeks to entrust control of State-owned enterprises (SOEs) to an “unwieldy holding company”.

The party urged South Africans to make their voices heard by submitting comments on the Bill, as submissions close on Friday.

“Today is the final opportunity to ensure your input is considered. Make your voice heard and help shape the future of our State-owned enterprises,” said DA  Planning, Monitoring, and Evaluation spokesperson Darren Bergman.

He said any decisions made on the governance of SOEs should reflect the interests of all citizens, not just the interests of one political party; highlighting public engagement is the only way to achieve this. 

He said the DA was in favour of leaving the existing decentralised framework in place whereby SOEs remained under the oversight of their respective ministries, ensuring greater accountability and sector-specific governance.

Last year President Cyril Ramaphosa signed a proclamation returning SOEs to relevant ministries.

“We also acknowledge the importance of public-private partnerships in making SOEs more efficient and financially sustainable. The partnerships will be worth exploring to surmount the challenges facing our State-owned institutions and making them operate in the public interest,” Bergman explained.

The party wants government to carefully examine which SOEs are strategic and which must be considered for unbundling or private sector entry, reducing the burden on taxpayers and improving overall performance.

Feedback can be emailed to Mandy Balie at nsebill@parliament.gov.za. Oral presentations before the Portfolio Committee on Planning, Monitoring, and Evaluation, can also be made by expressing interest using the same email.