Rodger Bosch AFP
President Cyril Ramaphosa has outlined a five-year programme for the government of national unity that seeks to drive inclusive growth and job creation, reduce poverty and tackle the high cost of living.
Addressing the opening of Parliament for the 7th administration on Thursday, President Ramaphosa said the third key priority was to build a capable, ethical, and developmental state.
In a wide-ranging speech, spanning some 20 pages, he declared that they had decided to place “inclusive economic growth” at the centre of the work of the government of national unity and top of the national agenda.
Ramaphosa said through a Statement of Intent, that the parties in the GNU have made a firm commitment to respect the Constitution and the rule of law and to promote accountability, transparency, integrity, and good governance.
He said they had agreed on a Minimum Programme as the foundation of the work of the Government of National Unity.
“The priority actions that arise from this minimum programme received the full support of the recent Cabinet Lekgotla, which brought together newly appointed ministers, deputy ministers, and premiers. Local government representatives, directors-general, and other key officials were also in attendance,” he said.
Ramaphosa said Cabinet will be convening a further strategy session to consider the Medium-Term Development Plan, which will translate these priorities into a detailed plan and interventions that the government will implement over the next five years.
He added that the Government of National Unity will pursue every action that contributes to sustainable, rapid economic growth and remove every obstacle that stands in the way of growth.
“We are determined that growth must be inclusive. It must be transformational. Inclusive growth must drive the redistribution of wealth and opportunity.
“It must support the empowerment of black South Africans and women, and all those who in the past had been relegated to the fringes of the economy,” he said. President Ramaphosa said the GNU committed, among other things, to continue to pursue programmes that encourage broad-based black economic empowerment, employment equity, and support to small- and medium-sized enterprises.
“We will continue to protect and uphold the hard-won rights of workers and continually strive to improve the conditions in which they work and live.
“Inclusive growth demands that we affirm the position of women and youth in the economy,” he said.
He said the GNU would increase funding for land reform, prioritise the transfer of state land, and improve post-settlement support by strengthening the institutional capacity of responsible structures.
He said to achieve rapid, inclusive growth, the government will need to fix struggling municipalities and simplify and speed up planning and regulatory processes to make it easier for businesses to invest and operate in a municipality, thus creating more jobs.
Ramaphosa said by establishing the Government of National Unity, and by preparing for a National Dialogue, they have deliberately set themselves along the path towards a ‘cooperation nation'.
