JOHANNESBURG, June 25 (Xinhua) -- South Africa's government of national unity (GNU) should put aside party differences and work together to grow the economy and tackle poverty, said a renowned South African business leader on Tuesday.

Mteto Nyati, power utility Eskom board chairperson, made the remarks in an interview with Xinhua on the sidelines of the Directors Event 2024 held on Tuesday in Johannesburg. Ten South African political parties have agreed to join the GNU and President Cyril Ramaphosa is currently consulting before announcing the cabinet.

"This GNU gives us hope, and we must make sure we balance and bring those diverse perspectives into the GNU. The agenda of the GNU cannot be a party agenda, but about South Africa. People must leave behind their party interest and wear the national hats," said Nyati.

He stressed that the GNU must prioritize tackling low economic growth, poverty, inequality, unemployment and crime.

The GNU must bring talent from "across the spectrum" to address the challenges the country faces, noted Nyati.

He went on to say that the government, business, labor and civil society should work together to fix the country's problems, adding that they should maintain the non-aligned stance and create a conducive environment for business to prosper so that they will create jobs.

"From a regulation standpoint, there should be policy clarity. There must be consistency in terms of policy and at the core of that policy, to make it easier for people to do business in South Africa," Nyati said. "We are competing with the rest of the world; we must create an environment which can make people come to the country."

According to Nyati, South Africa did the right thing of being non-aligned, which gives the country an opportunity to deal with "everybody" from the east to west. However, he noted, the GNU must act in the national interest and deal with any partners whose interests are aligned to South Africa.

Nyati said Ramaphosa and his ruling party, the African National Congress (ANC), did the right thing by choosing the GNU.

Ramaphosa during his inauguration said he will be the president for all in the country and urged all political parties to stash their political parties' interests and prioritize the interest of the country, which Nyati welcomed.

On the same occasion, Ashraf Patel, a senior researcher at the think-tank Institute for Global Dialogue, told Xinhua that the GNU must prioritize economic growth, skills development, as well as fight against unemployment, poverty, crime and corruption. Enditem

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