Johannesburg: AfricUpdate – News Desk
Economic growth and implementation of existing government plans have taken centre stage at the extended Cabinet Lekgotla currently underway at the Sefako Makgatho Presidential Guest House in Pretoria. President Cyril Ramaphosa, together with Deputy President Paul Mashatile, convened the extended Cabinet Lekgotla on Tuesday, bringing together ministers, deputy ministers, premiers and representatives from the South African Local Government Association (SALGA) with a sharp focus on inclusive growth, reforms and delivery.
Speaking to the media on the sidelines of the Cabinet Lekgotla, Minister in the Presidency, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, said the Presidency, National Treasury and the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition have presented a consolidated plan before the Lekgotla. “There is going to be a plan, but there is not going to be a new plan. It’s the implementation of those plans that have already been articulated, out there and adopted in South Africa. We are prioritising what are the quick wins, what are low-hanging fruits and what is the medium and long-term range of that,” Ntshavheni said.
The Minister explained that the extended Cabinet Lekgotla serves as an integral component of the government planning cycle, prioritising economic growth, addressing high unemployment rate, tackling crime, ensuring the safety and security of citizens and crucially fostering the development of a competent capable state.
“In this Lekgotla we’re focusing primarily on three things, the economy of the country, how do we grow the economy and we’re not coming up with a new strategy or new plans, but how do we implement those plans that are there so that we can deal with the number of issues that are confronting South Africans. One, the high unemployment rate, two, the high cost of living in the country, and the general economic growth that must be inclusive,” she said. Ntshavheni added that proposals on economic reforms are being aligned with interventions to strengthen local government and improve service delivery.
“We are also focusing on that economic growth proposal focus, we deal with issues of how do we build a capable state or a state that delivers, how do we do the reforms that will make sure that the economy grows, and what are the industrial reform targets that we are going to chase to make sure that they the economy in general responds. Then we are also focusing on the state of local government, and the issues that have been confronting our municipalities, and we are looking at what are the success stories, and what are the challenges, what are the interventions that have been implemented, and what are more interventions that can be done, including the white paper on local government that is reforming the system to make sure that the system works,” the Minister said.
The Lekgotla is also considering ways to address crime, which Minister Ntshavheni described as both an obstacle to economic growth and a threat to the safety and security of South Africans. She reiterated that government is consolidating already adopted strategies rather than creating new ones.
“The Presidency overall, and the Department of Finance, the National Treasury and the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition, have consolidated proposals across various departments and plans that have been previously adopted,” Ntshavheni said. On other matters, Ntshavheni stressed that government will not provide a “running commentary” on the work of the Madlanga Commission, noting that President Cyril Ramaphosa has announced a two-phased approach an interim report in three months and a final report in six months.
Responding to questions on the Special Investigating Unit’s (SIU) report into Tembisa Hospital, Ntshavheni said the investigations are ongoing. “They have already done asset forfeiture on a number of implicated people, and in terms of the head of the SIU, he has indicated that there is still more work to be done, so allow the space for the SIU to do its work and those agencies that are supporting the SIU to do the work to be done,” she said.
On international developments, the Minister reaffirmed South Africa’s long-standing position on the conflict in the Middle East. “Our position is that South Africa has always supported a two-state solution to the issue of Palestine along the 1957 borders of Palestine and our engagement on the issue around Palestine is twofold. We support initiatives that are driven under the umbrella of the United Nations and all the other regional initiatives that are undertaken that includes the full participation of Palestinians in the solution,” she said.
