ANC president Cyril Ramaphosa announced that his government will embark on a massive drive to create new jobs and roll-out massive infrastructural development while also dismantling the entrenched culture of racism.
“This must be addressed with the urgency it requires. We will work with youth formations such as the to expand innovative initiatives to provide finance and create opportunities to young people.
We must employ young people both in the private and public sector. Young people- owned businesses must be funded because they have the energy to drive economic growth,” said Ramaphosa while addressing ANC January 8 rally in Mangaung on Sunday.
Added Ramaphosa: ” We will mobilise our social partners to increase employment, this is the fight we cannot lose. The massive rollout of massive infrastructural development projects is also key.”
He said the country was in the period of fundamental consequence and change, pointing out that the electricity continues to undermine economic growth and investment and which in turn impacts on food production. The shortage of electricity is one of the impediments for the economic recovery.
“We will procure additional power in the short term in an emergency. We must be able to go out and buy power to respond to the challenge we’re currently facing,” said Ramaphosa.
He also used the opportunity to call out against the act of racism which has reared its ugly head again. Ramaphosa invited the two teenagers who were a subject of the Maselspoort Resort racist episode to the podium and said they had displayed a heroic act by facing the racists head on.
The black teens were racially assaulted by three elderly white men accusing them of swimming in a swimming pool apparently reserved for whites’ holiday makers in the establishment outside of Bloemfontein. The incident which was shared on social media happened during Christmas Day.
” We honour the young men for having stood firm to ensure that they resist the racist act perpetrated at them. It was the most hurtful and shameful act to watch white man throttling and trying to drown the young men in the swimming pool. We will ensure that racists do not get away and they face the might of the law,” he said.
The January 8 statement has become a tradition and a key political gathering for the ruling party with its significance dating back to the formation of what was known as the African Native National Congress on the same date in 1912 before it later became the African National Congress.
The Congress of South African said incompetent deployees, saying Ramaphosa’s government must now embark on a campaign to fix the state and crack the whip on municipal officials not delivering on basic services.
” We cannot compromise on the matter of principles and the law. If we were to build the state, we need a credible and clean ANC. Whistle-blowers exposing corruption are assassinated and nothing is being done about it. Something must change,” said Losi in her message of support.
Meanwhile, the South African Communist Party (SACP) general secretary said Ramaphosa should dismantle its neo-liberalism posture.
” The anc should entangle itself from the neo-liberal posture which should connect with the working class. Load Shedding should be ended as a matter of urgency, and we should not bow into the European powers to abandon coal. The government must immediately mandate the reverse bank to focus more on the developmental agenda of the state,” said Mapaila.
Other key issues that Ramaphosa’s presidency is expected to move aggressively on are land redistribution and improving social protection for the poor and the possible introduction of basic income support for the distressed citizens.
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