BUILDING A BETTER LIFE
require higher investment, better skills, rising savings and greater levels of competitiveness. We do not suffer from a poverty of ideas; our weakness is in implementation. The commission identified critical factors that contribute to this flaw and makes several proposals on how to deal with it.
Among them is improving co-ordination within government and with other social partners to boost investment and employment. The plan also identifies a deficit in trust between business, labour and government that needs to be reversed if we are to build this economy.
A focus on job creation The main target in respect of the economy is to raise employment by 2030, from 11 million to 24 million people with jobs. This will require an extraordinary effort and the plan provides a detailed account of how this can be achieved. The fourth pillar of the plan
addresses the urgent need to build capability. Capability applies both to people and the state. For some, building capabilities might comprise adequate nutrition or a bus to get to a place of work. For others, it might be a college certificate to boost the chances of getting a job. Across the country, capabilities
also cover things like what broadband speed we would require, the amount of energy we would need to power a growing economy, port capacity to support a diversified economy, or a total water supply that meets the needs of households, industry and agriculture. The plan sets targets for energy consumption, the carbon intensity of the energy supply, water supply, rail and port capacity and internet connectivity. The fifth pillar is a capable and developmental state. We define a developmental state as one that is capable of intervening to correct historical inequalities and to create opportunities for more people. A capable state needs to be professional, competent and responsive to the needs of all citizens.
We seek a professional civil service that can weather changes in political administrations. The President has mandated
the commission to focus on 2030. Between now and that date there will be at least four national and provincial elections, and at least three municipal elections; but the Plan is for all South Africans and cannot therefore focus on electoral cycles. The commission makes proposals covering the political administrative interface, personnel training and development, policy processes and co-ordination within and between spheres. The sixth pillar is the responsibility
of leadership throughout society to work together to solve our problems. South Africa’s progress in navigating the transition from apartheid to democracy was built on the ability of leaders to put aside narrow sectarian interests in favour of national interest, leaders who were able to put aside short-term political agendas for long- term benefit. To achieve the South Africa that we all desire, we require leaders to put the country first, to put the future ahead of today.
Assessing all the factors The approach of the commission has been to scan the external environment with a view to understanding what is likely to have an impact on our future. There were a few highlights from this exercise. The global economy is changing, with a rising share of production and wealth generation occurring in developing countries in general and Asia in particular.
• There is a resurgence of develop- ment on the African continent, with the region enjoying its longest period of economic growth in half a century. Africa’s voice on global forums is becoming louder. • Globalization will continue apace with both risks and opportunities for all countries. Countries that position themselves to take advantage of the opportunities while protecting their economies (and the poor) from risks will do better over the next two decades.
• Science and technology have shaped and will continue to shape development in ways that open up huge opportunities for humanity in general, including poor countries. Innovation is essential for a middle- income country such as South Africa to progress to high-income status. • Climate change is affecting and will continue to affect the world, with the worst effects likely to occur in Africa. We confront greater climate variability and more shocks such as floods and droughts. •
The commission also looked at demographic trends and their likely impact. The trends we identified offer opportunities as well as risks. On the positive side, our population growth is slowing and is expected to expand at less than one per cent a year to reach 58.5 million by 2030 and life expectancy is rising again, quite rapidly. Also in our favour is the fact that we have a young population, which could prove to be a major boon but could also be a danger if we do not address the problem of joblessness. These trends will have an impact
on our development, in the same way, the world today is different from the one into which our democracy was born 19 years ago.
Bringing plans to life The single most frequent comment or question from the public has been about implementation. Given weak capacity in the state and low levels of trust and co-operation between major social partners, how will this plan be implemented? The commission stresses that implementation rests with society as a whole, led by government and the executive. But we do believe that, during the
course of our work, we have come a long way in forging the beginnings of a common approach. Discussions between the commission and government departments were often robust and frank. There were areas where departments were able to convince us that we were wrong on certain issues. There were also several areas where we were
able to persuade and convince departments of the correctness of recommendations in the draft plan. There are areas where our plan
differs from existing plans or policies. It is very much in the nature of planning that, going forward, there will need to be an alignment of plans both within and outside government to the broad strategic plan being proposed today. Parliament and society at large have a critical role to play in promoting such alignment and in holding various parties accountable for implementation. We must stress that this is not
just a plan for government. There are actions and responsibilities for business, for labour, for civil society and for individuals. The commission outlines the factors critical for the success of the plan. These include the need for careful sequencing, prioritization and to mobilize all of society. The plan will only succeed if we share collective responsibility to hold one another accountable to get things done. Our future is under construction
and we now have a plan for its construction. Building on our history and our collective achievements since 1994, our challenge is to build a future fit for our children, a future that our people deserve. We have an opportunity to construct a future we all want. The decisions we make today, the
actions we take over the next five, 10, 15 and 20 years will determine where South Africa’s future is successful or whether we are just another hopeful but ineffective state, unable to satisfy the dreams of our people. The changes we seek and the outcomes we all desire will not come about on their own. The National Development Plan
is an opportunity to remake the future, to re-energize our people to strive for a future that is worthy of our proud history, built in the vision of our constitution. The National Development Plan is a call to action to unite as a country, to unleash the energies of our people to build a better future. It is our future, so we have to make it work.
The Parliamentarian | 2013: Issue One - South Africa | 21
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