By Adri Senekal de Wet and Corrie Kruger
Mr Leon Louw, Founder of the Free-Market Foundation was kind enough to adhere to a request for an interview with Adri Senekal De Wet Executive Editor of Business Report and Independent Analyst Corrie Kruger.
Mr Louw states: Stop making Employment Unlawful-It is not a choice between a high wage and a low wage it is about a wage and no wage. To Create Jobs: Start by removing minimum wages, as a requirement in our labour laws, and do not create red tape for informal workers.
Recent Development
On 21 July 2022 Mr Leon Louw penned an open letter stating: “I am choosing to announce my departure from the Free Market Foundation after creating and dedicating my life to a once fine, ethical, and influential organisation.
It grew from an idea 50 years ago, and with incredible colleagues and supporters I proudly led it to international prominence.
I was honoured to represent the FMF not only in South Africa, but in one hundred countries, the UN, US Congress, dinner with UK PM Margaret Thatcher, the Mont Pellerin Society, and many more prestigious occasions.”
My first question to Mr Louw was if after all these years of excellent service to our country at the age of seventy-three, are you now ready for retirement, or do you still have some energy left to pursue your passion.
His answer reminded me of something that happened more than a century ago.
On Dec. 10, 1914, a massive explosion erupted in legendary inventor Thomas Edison's plant, and it was engulfed in flames. Many years of research and work was destroyed.
Edison told his 24-year-old son, "Go get your mother and all her friends.
They'll never see a fire like this again." When Charles objected, Edison said, "It's all right. We've just got rid of a lot of rubbish." "Although I am over 67 years old, I'll start all over again tomorrow."
Mr Louw is credited with having had a significant impact on the course of events in South Africa, especially regarding the extensive economic reforms that took place during the last two decades of apartheid.
He has received numerous international awards, and, with his wife, Frances Kendall, has been nominated twice for the Nobel Peace Prize.
Leon co-authored South Africa: The Solution and Let the People Govern – both of which had a significant impact on the constitutional process.
Many of the authors’ specific proposals for the post-apartheid constitution were incorporated in South Africa’s new constitution.
Directly or through the FMF, he has been consulted by various governments including South Africa, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Namibia, Zambia, Russia (Yakut), China, Hong Kong, Malta, Malawi, and Swaziland; he also assisted government advisors informally in Ghana, Hungary, Mauritius, Surinam, and former Czechoslovakia).
Interview Questions and Answers:
We asked Mr Louw to comment of the Communist viewpoint that many government ministers and other officials may have in our current government policy.
Mr Louw stated that the old communist ideology has today made place for a mere difference regarding more government control or lesser government control.
Mr Louw makes it clear that he does not have a binary approach to matters, there are both good and bad in every person and or situation and an balanced approach needs to be followed. (He even quoted some good things Ex-President PW Botha did)
He states that much of his thinking was formed by Thomas Sowell (a 91-year-old gentleman who happens to be a Black American).
The latter is inter alia known for stating his opposition to government taking decisions away from ordinary people as he states this process lengthens the divide between the decision maker and the person will have to deal with the consequences of such a decision.
Mr Louw will soon bring the first titling of property to informal settlements/squatter camp owners based on block-chain technology.
The simplest implementation of a block-chain-based land registry could enable the ownership documents to be recorded and assigned to the owner’s user account.
Watch Mr Louw speaking below:
Mr Louw strongly believes that we should emulate the most successful countries of the world, it so happens they are the freest countries in the world. Why do some nations thrive while others falter?
The answer: inclusive institutions that create incentives while guaranteeing property rights and rule of law. We need to scrap exchange controls and liberate our economy and make it investor friendly by stating that capital coming into the country will be safe and can leave whenever they wish.
Mr Louw believes we should emulate the Chinese Special Economic Zone rules and principles.
What we currently have contains no special treatment regarding tax, labour laws, building restrictions, and other regulations.
There is still fire in the belly, and a lot of unspent energy, and enthusiasm within this remarkable man.
Adri Senekal De Wet is the executive editor of Business Report and Corrie Kruger is an independent analyst.
BUSINESS REPORT