RATE IT: New grants, job creation & going green - 5 policies Ramaphosa wants to implement
ANC president Cyril Ramaphosa says the party's national executive has identified several measures aimed at bettering the lives of South Africans.
Ramaphosa, who was addressing a Cosatu virtual central committee meeting on Monday, said the measures ranged from job creation among the youth to introducing new grants.
He acknowledged that the government's current strategies and job creation were not of sufficient scale and scope to address the extent of the problem faced by many South Africans.
Here are five policies proposed by the ANC, according to Ramaphosa:
Grants for unemployed
Ramaphosa said there remains significant demand on the government to continue with and expand income support measures for those living in poverty.
“This necessarily requires better alignment and linkages between social security policies and labour market policies so that beneficiaries of social support can move more readily into employment,” he said.
“Subject to long-term affordability, serious consideration should be given to extending further support to the unemployed, and those who are structurally marginalised, possibly in the form of an extension of the Covid-19 grant, targeted food-poverty-line support. We should also consider a combination of all this with mass employment for people.”
Remove red tape for small businesses
He said the government was taking steps to reduce the regulatory burden on small, medium and microenterprises.
“This includes ensuring that informal traders are not subject to undue and unfair regulatory requirements. Our fiscal constraints mean that we must set clear priorities, focusing on measures which will have the greatest social and economic impact.”
Go green
He said transitioning to a low-carbon, ecologically friendly and socially sustainable economy presents opportunities to create jobs, inclusion and growth in many sectors.
“These sectors include renewable energy, grid construction, manufacturing of renewable components, battery storage, green vehicles and green hydrogen, while assisting us to further our environmental protection objectives.”
More job creation and skills development
Ramaphosa said the government will increase community participation in a way that leads to skills development, SMME participation and employment for affected communities.
“Infrastructure development is the backbone of economic progress. We must therefore aggressively expand social and economic infrastructure to meet the needs of the economy and South Africans at large.
“Our infrastructure investments must anchor the one-plan approach of the district development model and prioritise critical network infrastructure such as rural roads and bridges, water, energy and digital infrastructure,” he said.
A single public service
Ramaphosa said the voice of workers will inform the strategies to put the country on a higher growth and employment-generating trajectory.
“We are all in agreement that the success of our revolution and the ability to bring about a better life for all depends on improving the capacity of the state. The state must be efficient, developmental and capable,” he said.
“The finalisation of the work to put in place a single public service will be fast-tracked and is taking place in consultation with organised labour.”