We all know that local is lekker, but an influx of international talent and expertise does not have to come at the expense of locals, it can boost it. But our dysfunctional visa regime stands in the way.

This year marks the 30th anniversary that every South African can -- to paraphrase Sol Plaatje -- vote as a citizen, no longer a pariah in the land of their birth. While this is a cause for celebration, continued hardship for many across the country must temper this.

The truth is there is still a long way to travel on Nelson Mandela's much-vaunted long walk to freedom because political freedom has not brought economic freedom for all.

It is a sobering thought that economies that were smaller than South Africa's in 1994 have surpassed ours in the last three decades. Meanwhile, no progress on poverty and inequality reduction has been made since 2011.

Having inherited the keys to the political kingdom, we are now confronted with a stagnating economy, world-champion unemployment rates, and creaking debt-ridden and inefficient state-owned enterprises crippled by poor maintenance and a lack of infrastructure investment.

We all know the problems with Eskom, but there are other crises undermining our economy, not least of which is the decline of the rail network and our ports and harbours which are vital for keeping the arteries of commerce pumping. South Africa's manufacturing sector is also in...