Speaker of the National Assembly,
Deputy President Shipokosa Paul Mashatile, Ministers and Deputy Ministers,
Honourable Members,
This debate on the Presidency Budget Vote takes place at a time of both change and continuity.

As we enter a new democratic administration, as we define the priorities for the Government of National Unity, we are building on the progress made during the course of previous administrations.

We have made significant strides over the course of the last five years to restore our country and our economy. We need to sustain the work that has been done and see many of the measures we have taken through to completion.

At the same time, we need to appreciate the changes that have taken place in government and we need to respond to the mandate from the electorate that we carry.

As the Presidency and as government, we are focused on the priorities I outlined in the Opening of Parliament Address last week.

Firstly, to drive inclusive growth and job creation.
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Secondly, to reduce poverty and tackle the high cost of living. Thirdly, to build a capable, ethical and developmental state.

As the strategic centre of government, the Presidency bears the responsibility for coordinating the work of government to ensure that these priorities are implemented.

At this crucial moment in our country’s history, as we confront many challenges, what South Africans want to see is action.

Our job is to deliver on the commitments that we have made as the Government of National Unity.

Central to the work of the Presidency is cooperation, partnership and collaboration, both across government and together with social partners and other stakeholders.

This approach has proven successful in mobilising a broad spectrum of resources and capabilities to undertake actions that have the greatest social and economic impact.

Fundamental to the approach of this Presidency is to draw on the expertise, experience and capabilities in government and across society.

During the previous administration, we established a number of entities both in government and outside of government, bringing together a wide variety of people to provide insights and inputs based on expert knowledge and sound evidence.
 
The Presidential Economic Advisory Council played a vital role in advising both the President and relevant Ministers on the most important economic challenges facing the country.

The Presidential State-Owned Enterprises Council has been pivotal to the fundamental overhaul of the architecture of our state-owned enterprises.

On addressing climate change, one of the most challenging developments of modern times, the Presidential Climate Commission brings together a unique blend of different social stakeholders to guide our climate actions, including our approach to a just transition to a low-carbon society.

Among other things, the Climate Commission has made valuable input into our Just Transition Investment Plan, future energy mix and Climate Change Act, which I signed into law last week.

Another important advisory body is the National Anti-Corruption Advisory Council, which was established to advise government and mobilise society around a comprehensive programme to end corruption in all its forms.

The Presidential Working Group on Disability is another critical forum to advance social and economic change. The Working Group is an important partner in the development and implementation of policies and programmes that uphold the rights and advance the interests of persons with disability.

We are grateful to the members of these advisory bodies and working groups for the contribution that they have made and continue to make towards South Africa’s development and transformation.

The Presidency has prioritised greater cooperation between the spheres of government. While this has been vital during crises like the COVID pandemic and in responding to natural disasters, it is essential if we are to strengthen governance and respond more effectively to the needs of South Africans.

The promotion of cooperative governance has been strengthened through implementation of the District Development Model, which places the district at the centre of an integrated approach to development.

With the support of the President’s Coordinating Council – which brings together the leadership of the three spheres of government – we see a greater role for the District Development Model in addressing problems at local level through better use the powers, capacity and resources of national and provincial governments.

Cooperation between the three spheres of government is also evident in the Presidential Izimbizo programme.

Izimbizo are a vital tool of participatory democracy. They allow communities to interact with the President, Ministers, Premiers, MECs and Mayors, and to find practical solutions to specific service delivery problems that they have.

The Deputy President plays a leading role in engagements with different constituencies and sections of society.

Through bodies like the South African National AIDS Council and the Human Resource Development Council, the Deputy President convenes a broad cross-section of stakeholders to address challenges that affect us all.

The Deputy President has been working closely with military veterans to address their concerns and ensure that this group of South Africans – who have sacrificed so much for our country – receive the support they need to live decent lives.

He has also been working with traditional leaders to ensure that they are able to effectively undertake their responsibilities and contribute to the development of the people they serve.

The Deputy President will speak more about this work later in the debate.
 
Understanding that science, technology and innovation are essential for economies to thrive and for societies to prosper, last year we held the inaugural Presidential Science, Technology and Innovation Plenary.

This initiative brings together government, academia, civil society and industry to collectively drive South Africa’s national system of innovation.

The inclusive and consultative approach that the Presidency has taken to address the country’s challenges will serve us well as we embark on the National Dialogue.

Our overriding priority for the next five years is to achieve more rapid and inclusive economic growth, so that we can create jobs, reduce poverty, and build a more just and equal society.

To achieve this, we must configure the system of government to support a significant expansion of investment in infrastructure.

We have seen the value of collaboration in pursuing this objective.

Through Infrastructure South Africa, we have been able to draw on private sector expertise and skills to improve the preparation, financing and implementation of infrastructure investment.

Through the Infrastructure Fund, we are going to explore new approaches to blended financing of infrastructure, using the fiscus to leverage additional funding from the private sector, development finance institutions and other sources.

We have been working closely with independent power producers in steering their projects through to the construction phase, contributing significantly to the reduction in the severity of load shedding.

We are going to continue working with companies, financial institutions and business organisations, both South African and international, during the course of our ambitious investment drive over the last five years.

In 2018, we set a target of mobilising R1.2 trillion in new investments over five years. By the conclusion of the fifth South Africa Investment Conference last year, we had exceeded that target, raising over R1.5 trillion in new investment commitments.

A vital part of this work was undertaken by the Investment Envoys we appointed to engage with potential investors and identifying opportunities and challenges.

The Investment Envoys we appointed are Mr Trevor Manuel, Mr Mcebisi Jonas, Ms Phumzile Langeni, Mr Jacko Maree, Mr Jeff Radebe and Mr Derek Hanekom.

We are extremely grateful to them for their tremendous work.

We have had an opportunity to visit many of the factories and projects that have been built or expanded as a result of these investments. And we have seen the many jobs they have created.

The work of the red tape reduction team that was established in the Presidency under the leadership of Mr Sipho Nkosi has been possible due to close cooperation with various departments, public entities and spheres of government, as well as support from the private sector.

The team is looking at a capacity building approach to tackle red tape in provincial governments and a pilot to support three city municipalities with reform action plans to address inefficient business processes.

Through this experience, it is clear that the removal of red tape is a cross-cutting exercise that requires a coordinated and integrated approach.

Significant progress was made during the Sixth Administration in implementing reforms to enable economic growth, with a focus on modernising network industries.
 
These reforms have been undertaken across government with the support of Operation Vulindlela, which is a joint initiative of the Presidency and National Treasury.

This progress provides a solid platform on which we will build a sustained increase in the rate of economic growth and a reduction in poverty, unemployment and inequality.

By alleviating load shedding, improving the performance of the logistics system, reducing the cost of data, improving water supply, and enabling the country to attract the skills it needs, the reforms already underway will provide a significant boost to the economy in the medium term.

In addition, these reforms support the repositioning of strategic state-owned enterprises by strengthening their balance sheets and improving their operational performance, while also enabling higher levels of private investment in infrastructure.

A recent independent study released by the Bureau of Economic Research estimates that the reforms undertaken under the auspices of Operation Vulindlela could increase real GDP growth to 3.5 percent by 2029.

Apart from the changes that these reforms are making to the country’s productive capacity and competitiveness, they are also contributing to greater business confidence.

As confidence grows, so does investment, creating jobs and supporting demand. This is a virtuous cycle that leads to higher growth on a sustained basis.

One of the greatest impediments to economic growth has been the electricity crisis, which the Presidency has been instrumental in addressing.

The National Energy Crisis Committee, which was established in 2022 to oversee implementation of the Energy Action Plan, is chaired by the President and coordinated at a technical level by the Director- General in the Presidency.

With the support of National Energy Crisis Committee, there has been a marked improvement in the performance of Eskom’s power stations, which produce the bulk of South Africa’s electricity.

Regulatory changes have enabled substantial new investment in electricity generation. This week, the country will have gone 120 days without load shedding.

However, it is too soon to claim victory. Our electricity system is still vulnerable and we cannot yet rule out a possibility of further load shedding.

Drawing on our experience in tackling the electricity crisis, we established the National Logistics Crisis Committee and adopted a Freight Logistics Roadmap.

The roadmap provides a clear path to resolving Transnet’s immediate operational challenges while reforming the logistics system as a whole to achieve a competitive and efficient rail network.

Operation Vulindlela has facilitated support to the Department of Water and Sanitation to re-engineer the water use license application system and clear the backlog of applications, unlocking an estimated R56 billion of investment.

Through Operation Vulindlela, we have supported reforms in telecommunications aimed at lowering the cost of data and improving network reach and quality.

We have also provided support to the Department of Home Affairs in its efforts to reform the visa system to attract skills and investment and boost tourism.

The Operation Vulindlela approach to focused collaboration across government has proven its worth.
 
We will now be embarking on the second phase of Operation Vulindlela.

The immediate priority is to sustain the momentum and follow through on the implementation of current reforms to realise their full impact.

While these reforms are a necessary condition for growth and job creation, they are not sufficient to drive structural transformation in the economy.

In its second phase, Operation Vulindlela will therefore focus on reforming the local government system, harnessing digital public infrastructure, and addressing spatial inequality.

We will work closely with provincial and local governments to address service delivery challenges, in line with our Constitutional mandate.

We will coordinate a whole-of-government programme to drive digital transformation of government and modernise our digital public infrastructure.

Finally, we will turn the attention of Operation Vulindlela to spatial inequality, which remains a key barrier to economic growth.

The Presidency remains seized with the challenge of youth unemployment.

Nearly four years ago, in the wake of the COVID pandemic, we launched the Presidential Employment Stimulus, which has created 2 million work and livelihood opportunities.

Two-thirds of the people who have participated in these programmes are women, and around 84 percent are between the ages of 18 and 35.

Another initiative is the Presidential Youth Employment Intervention. Central to this is SAYouth.mobi, which is a zero-rated platform for unemployed young people to access opportunities for learning and earning.

The Youth Employment Service, which was launched together with the private sector in 2018, is gaining significant momentum, having created over 150,000 work experience opportunities for young people.

The partnership that government entered into with organised business in July last year has yielded impressive results in the areas of electricity and freight logistics, and we have started to make progress in our joint work to combat crime and corruption.

As we go forward, we will look to our partners in business to put greater emphasis on our agreed programme of work on employment. This includes measures to support SMMEs in townships and rural areas, creating new jobs in areas like tourism, agriculture and green energy, and providing work experience and demand-led training to young people.

The Presidency has been working with other departments to develop an integrated anti-poverty strategy with a focus on household livelihoods.

We have held two Presidential Health Summits and adopted a Presidential Health Compact, which outlines the priorities we have identified and collectively agreed to undertake to strengthen the health system.

One of the most important areas of progress has been in the implementation of the national health quality improvement plan. This initiative has led to the establishment of more than 420 quality learning centres covering over 3,500 health facilities. As a result, we have seen significant improvements in patient satisfaction across various areas.

A vital part of the drive to provide all children with a conducive environment for learning is the provision of school infrastructure. This includes the provision of safe and appropriate toilets.
 
In 2018, we launched the Sanitation Appropriate for Education programme – known as the SAFE initiative – to mobilise public and private funds to replace pit toilets. Unsafe toilets have been replaced in 92 percent of schools needing safe toilets. The remaining 280 schools are scheduled for completion within this financial year.

One of the most important areas in which the Presidency has been involved is in the struggle to end gender-based violence and femicide.

We have held two Presidential Summits to bring together government, civil society and other stakeholders to forge a common national response to this pandemic.

Working together, we have been implementing the National Strategic Plan against Gender-Based Violence and Femicide.

As part of this plan, we have focused on prevention measures, such as educating boys and young men on gender equality and their roles in empowering girls and young women.

We have made important progress in implementing the actions outlined in our response to the recommendations of the State Capture Commission.

This includes the work of our law enforcement agencies to bring perpetrators to justice and to recover stolen funds, as well as the legislative and other changes needed to strengthen the fight against corruption and prevent state capture.

The Presidency plays a pivotal role in ensuring that the work of the Special Investigating Unit has an impact, and that individuals involved in wrongdoing face the consequences of their actions.

The Presidency has forged a close working relationship with the SIU and law enforcement agencies to monitor the implementation of the recommendations for criminal, disciplinary and administrative action arising from SIU investigations.

The Presidency forms an integral part of international relations and cooperation, leading the country’s representation in international fora and in bilateral and multilateral engagements.

Our approach to foreign policy is informed by an understanding that our national interest is closely intertwined with the goal of achieving progress in Africa and implementation of Africa’s Agenda 2063.

Guided by the Framework Document on South Africa’s National Interest adopted by Cabinet, we continue to work for stronger economic, political and social links with a wider range of African countries, and advancing economic integration in Southern Africa and across the continent.

We continue to use important international platforms like BRICS and the G20 to advance the interests of the African continent and the Global South, and have been vocal in calling for the reform of the UN Security Council and other multilateral institutions to make them more representative of the changing world order.

As a country, South Africa has been at the forefront of continental and international health initiatives.

During our chairship of the African Union in 2020, South Africa was pivotal in efforts to secure COVID vaccines and other medical supplies for the continent. As the AU COVID Champion we remain involved in driving pandemic preparedness and other initiatives to promote the African health agenda.

Guided by the fundamental principle of human rights and freedom, in December last year, South Africa instituted proceedings against the State of Israel arguing that its actions in Gaza violated the Genocide Convention.

The Presidency, together with the Department of International Relations and Cooperation, will continue to participate in the Ukraine Peace Forum, a group of countries committed to finding a solution to the conflict taking place in Ukraine. We will continue to push for the parties to this conflict to talk to each other and find a just, lasting and peaceful resolution.
 
Madam Speaker, Honourable Members,

If the last five years has been a time of recovery and renewal for the country, it has been a time of rebuilding and refocusing for the Presidency.

With relatively limited resources, we have had to build capacity and act with urgency to tackle pressing issues.

We now have a much firmer institutional platform on which to build. We have learned many lessons and have developed new ways of working.

As we enter a new era of inclusive growth and job creation, we will be able to put the capabilities of the Presidency to much better effect.

We will continue to mobilise the skills, capabilities and resources that reside in the state.

As the Presidency, we will work to ensure more effective coordination and collaboration. And we will continue to draw on the knowledge and expertise of individuals across society.

We will continue to build meaningful social compacts to overcome the challenges that confront our people.

The Presidency will continue to lead the work towards a better life for all South Africans and an inclusive economy that leaves no-one behind.

I hereby commend this Budget Vote of the Presidency to the National Assembly. 

I thank you.
 

Speaker of the National Assembly, Honourable Thoko Didiza,
Chairperson of the National Council of Provinces, Honourable Refilwe Mtshweni-Tsipane, Deputy President Paul Mashatile,
Honourable Members of Parliament,

I would like to begin by thanking the Honourable Members of this house for a robust and enriching debate.

The speeches delivered the whole day on Friday clearly demonstrate that there is a common appreciation among the Members of this august Parliament that a debate of this nature, and indeed the work of this Parliament, is about something far bigger, far more important than politics.

It is about the future of our country and its people. It is about a future of opportunity and promise that the people of South Africa have mandated us through their votes on the 29th of May to advance.

The nation’s eyes are on this Parliament and all of us they elected to represent them.

We wholeheartedly endorse the call by the Honourable Moeimang when he said that this Parliament should become the epicentre of the advancement of the will of the people.

Much of what has been said during this debate has confirmed that we have entered a new era in South African politics. It is an era of hope and optimism for the people of our country.

We must demonstrate in word and deed that this is an era of a government of national unity and not a fleeting convenience.

We have had, and will continue to have, points of divergence, as the spirited nature of the debate has demonstrated.

At the same time we all understand what is expected of us by those who put us here.

They expect us to chart this country towards the ultimate goal of a better life for all. Talking to each other and working together. Pulling in the same direction.

That direction is towards the implementation of the Medium-Term Development Plan 2024-2029, the programme that will guide the seventh administration.

This plan will be based on the three strategic priorities that I outlined in the Opening of Parliament Address last week.

As we said, our priorities are inclusive growth and job creation, reducing poverty and tackling the high cost of living, and building a capable, ethical and developmental state.

For much of the sixth administration, we worked to address the challenges that impeded our growth, such as state capture, lack of reforms, Covid-19 and others.
 
We also worked to overcome the silo mentality that pervaded the work of government, and which in the past had contributed to inefficiency, duplication and wastage of resources.

As the Honourable Kwanka has rightly put it, it is important that whatever policies and programmes the Government of National Unity develops, they must be aligned to the social realities facing our people.

What will define the seventh administration is strategic alignment of priorities, greater efficiencies, focus and the optimal use of resources.

On Thursday evening, I said that the programme of government is grounded in the National Development Plan (NDP), the African Union’s Agenda 2063 and the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

It is important to examine the progress we have made as a nation in addressing the challenges our people face. Last year, South Africa submitted its third country report to the UN on our progress towards meeting the Sustainable Development Goals.

It highlighted important trends towards meeting SDG targets in eradicating poverty and hunger, in good health and well-being, in inclusive and equitable quality education, in the provision of clean water and sanitation, in climate action, in building strong institutions for peace and justice, and others.

Government’s 30 Year Review Report and the results of Census 2022 are testament to the considerable progress the democratic state has made in pursuing equitable and sustainable development.

On eradicating poverty and hunger, more indigent South Africans are accessing grants as part of an extensive social security net to mitigate the worst effects of poverty.

As I said in the Opening of Parliament Address, in focusing on reducing the cost of living, local government must strengthen its implementation of the indigent policy so that the old, the infirm and the poor are able to get assistance with the payment of basic services.

Sixty percent of our national budget is spent on the social wage and programmes vital to reducing poverty and supporting the poor.

When the worst global health emergency in modern times struck in the form of the COVID-19 pandemic, we were able to shelter society’s most vulnerable through the provision of special COVID grants, a scheme to support workers’ wages, and support to businesses affected by the lockdowns.

Over the next five years we will be putting further programmes in place to reduce poverty and mitigate the effects of the high cost of living, especially on the poorest of the poor.

On good health and well-being, our country report to the UN notes reductions in maternal, infant and neonatal mortality. South Africans are living longer and have better health outcomes.
A key task for government over the next five years will be to ensure that everyone in South Africa has equal access to affordable quality health care through the implementation of the National Health Insurance.

We are unwavering in our commitment to implement universal health coverage in a manner that brings all South Africans on board. We will continue with dialogues, with exchanges, with interactions to make this an important programme for our people.

On inclusive and equitable quality education, we have made progress with respect to functional literacy and numeracy at primary school level and in primary school completion rates.

Today more South African children have access to Early Childhood Development and Grade R, and secondary school education outcomes continue to steadily improve.
 
The child support grant, no-fee schools and expanded NSFAS funding have had a considerable impact on the lives of learners, particularly those from poor families.

These social protection interventions, alongside others like the Schools Nutrition Programme and the Sanitary Dignity Programme aimed at female learners, are helping to break the cycle of inter- generational poverty.

They are enabling more children to complete their schooling and to access opportunities after they finish school.

One need only look at last year’s matriculation exam results, where learners who were social grant beneficiaries achieved an 81 percent pass rate.

Access to education expands the capabilities of young people but it also improves the productive capacity of our economy.

As the Honourable Maimane has rightly put it, our young people are competing with the world. This is a new world, one that is rapidly changing and being influenced by technological advances.

A better educated, better skilled workforce makes our economy more competitive and catalyses growth.

We welcome the call for greater investment in skilling young people for the economy of the future and for young people to be familiar with emerging technologies.
Science and technology is going to continue playing an important role in enabling our young people to play a key role in our economy.

Across all of these interventions, we are prioritising the health and well-being of children.

But we need to sustain the advances we have made over the last 30 years by improving maternal and child health care, tackling malnutrition and stunting, improving early childhood education, and ensuring universal access to clean water and sanitation.

With respect to the Sustainable Development Goal on the provision of basic services, 84 percent of South African households now have access to piped water, 71 percent have access to decent sanitation and 94 percent of households have access to electricity.

This seventh administration will focus on extending these services to those people who still do not have these basic requirements, and improving the reliability and affordability of delivery

This will require measures to improve the efficiency of local government to deliver on its crucial mandate.

Minister Hlabisa’s determination that all municipalities receive the necessary administrative, technical and financial support for them to be viable and stable represents the seventh administration’s clear intention to improve the functioning of municipalities.

We agree with Councillor Stofile that we must address with urgency the governance and oversight challenges at local government level and the serious problem of municipal and consumer debt.

On building and strengthening institutions, we have made significant progress in deepening democracy during 30 years of freedom through safeguarding human rights and fundamental freedoms.

As parties to the Government of National Unity, we are in agreement on the importance of entrenching our constitutional democracy and the rule of law.
 
We will continue to exert our every effort to safeguard the independence of the judiciary, freedom of the media and the work of the institutions supporting democracy.

We continue to entrench gender equality across all facets of society, and in promoting the full participation in society of persons with disabilities.

We have enacted into law the Gender-Based Violence and Femicide Council, which will oversee and coordinate GBV programmes across government and in partnership with all stakeholders.

An important focus of this work will be women’s economic empowerment, and on leveraging government’s policy of setting aside 40 percent of public procurement for women-owned businesses.

South Africa is a beacon of hope and progress when it comes to the rights of the LGBTQI+ community.

These are all important aspects of our human rights culture.

I cite this progress we have made together in advancing towards the Sustainable Development Goals not as a diversion from the realities and challenges of the day.

We are very much alive to the challenges we still face as a country.

And yet we must remind ourselves that South Africa is not in the hopeless situation that some in the opposition benches want us to believe, and have sought to loudly assert with sound and fury during this debate.
South Africa is a country that has come a long way over the past 30 years. Let us never lose sight of that.

Certainly, there have been setbacks and shortcomings. But we have done much to recover from these and are now committed to move forward with greater speed and impact.

We have taken to heart the words of the Honourable Zibi that “urgency is the currency of the times in which we now live”.

Our Government of National Unity is therefore determined to rapidly scale up the pace of our efforts to bring development and shared prosperity to our people by working together.

And in this effort, as Minister Steenhuisen says, we need the builders, not the breakers. We need weavers and not vultures.

Those who share this vision of a better South Africa will find the doors of the Government of National Unity always open to cooperation and collaboration.

It is expected of all who have been entrusted with positions of leadership within the Government of National Unity that we rise to the challenge to be builders and not breakers.
We must be at the forefront of building a capable, ethical developmental state, of growing an inclusive economy, and reducing poverty.

As the members of the Government of National Unity, we have agreed to a common minimum programme that forms the basis of the work of this administration.

We agree with Minister De Lille that the needs and pain of our people know no political affiliation.

The policies we pursue and the programmes we implement are not the property of one or another political party. We will therefore, each of us, equally advance and promote the positions and decisions of the Government of National Unity.
 
I have said to my colleagues in the Executive that there should be no competition among parties to the Government of National Unity to outdo each other or lay claim to the policies that we collectively adopt.

When we speak of transforming our country, we cannot confine our actions to building roads, factories and houses.

We cannot bring about a better South Africa if we do not give attention to the moral fibre of our society.

Crime, corruption, substance abuse and all manner of ills continue to fray our social fabric and hold back development.

Across our nation, the disintegration of the family has become a common feature.

Some 60 percent of South African children don’t live with their biological fathers, and women are often left to raise their children with no financial support from their fathers.

The abuse of women and children, abuse of the elderly and discrimination against persons living with disabilities are a stain on our moral conscience.

As we strengthen the capabilities of our law enforcement agencies to deal decisively with crimes against society’s most vulnerable, we must intensify the work needed to prevent such crimes in the first place.
Prevention begins in our homes, in our communities, in our places of learning, in our religious institutions, and importantly, in the media.

We have strayed from being a society that both cherishes and advances equal opportunity.

The values of hard work, study, perseverance, steady progression and entrepreneurship have been replaced by a get rich quick mindset.

The corrosive lure of corruption has played no small part in this.

As a Government of National Unity and in the upcoming National Dialogue, we must come up with the measures we need to take to promote greater respect for human dignity, ubuntu and empathy in our society.

This should involve our faith-based institutions, civil society organisations working in communities, trade unions, sporting organisations, youth formations and others.

Restoring the values of integrity, honesty and empathy in our society is not something that a strategic framework of government planning can resolve.

It is an all of society effort which we must all be part of. Leadership must come from all of us.
Just as we have a responsibility to stand firmly against racism, sexism, homophobia, ethnic chauvinism, tribalism and discrimination, as leaders we must demonstrate to the South African people that we are here to work for them, and not for ourselves.

We must demonstrate that we are servants of the people.

In 1994 we achieved a democratic breakthrough that many believed impossible, and took those important first steps towards reconciliation between the races.

As this Parliament, we must hold firm to the principles that underpin the founding values of our democratic country.
 
We must not allow our work to be derailed by sowers of disunity.

The name-calling, race-baiting and ethnic chauvinism we have seen in the course of this debate has been regrettable.

Minister McKenzie has challenged us, as a government and as a society, to address the national question.

This is vital if we are to proceed to build a united nation. Not only do we need to have frank and honest conversations about how race continues to define the prospects of our people, but we need to pursue policies that resolve these contradictions in our economy and society.

The Honourable Sangoni Diko was clear in saying non-racialism is fundamental to the struggle for a free and equal society.

Non-racialism is not a concession. It is not an act of charity.

It is something that we must continue to build so that we can achieve a South Africa that truly belongs to all who live in it.

The task of building a non-racial and a non-sexist society requires that we remove the material barriers that apartheid created to divide South Africans.

That is why we have placed the task of inclusive growth and job creation at the centre of the work of this administration.

That is why we have stressed the relationship between growth and transformation.

To undertake the necessary redistribution of wealth and opportunity, we need an economy that grows and thrives.

And to achieve growth, we need to mobilise the capabilities, resources and efforts of all South Africa’s people.

In South Africa, growth and transformation are two sides of the same coin. We cannot achieve one without the other.

We should therefore not dismiss the vital importance of promoting investment and supporting thriving businesses.

We must not avoid the measures we must necessarily take to ensure that the benefits of economic growth accrue to all South Africans.

We should not allow ourselves to be led into a false choice between policies that are supposedly ‘pro- business’ or ‘pro-worker’.
We stand for inclusive growth that creates employment and that enables businesses to emerge, to grow and to achieve sustainable returns.

We agree with Deputy Minister Hendricks that the private sector needs to take on the responsibility of opening opportunities for unemployed South Africans, and we have insisted that employment creation must be one of the pillars of our partnership with business.

We have seen the impact of the Youth Employment Service, which was established together with private sector partners, and which has created over 150,000 opportunities for young people to get work experience in South African companies.

We appreciate the value and the necessity of public programmes that create work and livelihood opportunities.
 
Minister Mantashe is right that if we are to meaningfully address the unemployment crisis, we will have to focus on the lower end of the labour market where mass employment is required.

The Honourable Shivambu says we are living in an alternative reality when it comes to job creation.

For a taste of reality, he could visit some of the 23,000 schools across this country where more than a million school assistants have made a tangible difference in improving learning outcomes, supporting curriculum delivery and improving the classroom environment.

Unlike some in this House, we see the economic and social value of the work and livelihood support that has been made possible by mass public employment programmes.

We see the impact of the 188,000 agricultural input vouchers have been issued to small-scale farmers to expand their production and support food security.

As Minister Nyhontso says, we need to act with more resolve, more resources and more emphasis to correct the historic injustice of land dispossession and provide people with access to land and the means to work it.

We see the vital importance of the initiatives described by Premier Lesufi to provide finance, skills, technology and infrastructure to grow township economies and create jobs.

Honourable Members,
Thirty years ago, at the Summit of the Organisation for African Unity, the forerunner of the African Union, our nation’s founding father Nelson Mandela said:

“Africa shed her blood and surrendered the lives of her children so that all her children could be free.

“A million times, she put her hand to the plough that has now dug up the encrusted burden of oppression accumulated for centuries.”

As this administration, we remain committed to a foreign relations policy and outlook that prioritises the achievement of the African Union’s Agenda 2063.

Honourable Malema, South Africa’s role on the continent and across the world remains firmly on our agenda.

We see the African Continental Free Trade Area and other instruments of continental economic integration as vital to our own economic fortunes.

In January this year, we saw our first shipment of products to other African countries under the AfCFTA. We are extremely encouraged by the potential the AfCFTA presents in terms of new markets for South African goods, products and services.
We welcome the progress being made towards finalising rules of origin, and towards a Pan-African payment and settlement system.

As Minister Tau said, the AfCFTA, is a game-changing initiative to leverage one of the fastest-growing consumer markets in the world, a growing market that is young, tech-savvy, highly educated and conscientious about implementing actionable Pan-Africanism for the twenty-first century.

As South Africa, we are committed to Silencing the Guns on the continent and to playing our part in peacekeeping and peacebuilding efforts in Africa.

We have deployed members of the South African National Defence Force to support UN, AU and SADC peacekeeping missions in several parts of the continent.
 
They have served not only their country, but also their continent, with diligence and courage.

We once again pay tribute to the soldiers who have lost their lives during operations in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Mozambique.

Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of our soldiers and we salute their bravery and sacrifice in the cause of peace in one of the world’s most troubled regions.

We will continue to make every effort to ensure the safety and wellbeing of our troops on all peacekeeping missions.

Our principled solidarity with peoples burdened under the yoke of oppression will not waver.

We stand in solidarity with the peoples of Western Sahara and Palestine who are still being denied their right to self-determination.

On Friday last week, as members of this House were debating, the International Court of Justice issued an advisory opinion on the State of Israel’s continued occupation of Palestinian land and the construction of settlements in the West Bank, ruling that this was illegal under international law.

The court said this should come to an end as rapidly as possible.

This is a separate case to the one launched by South Africa at the International Court of Justice last year in response to the genocide being perpetrated against the people of Gaza.
What this latest ruling indicates is that international momentum against Israel’s continued violations of the rights of the Palestinian people is growing.

Just as our own struggle for national liberation was eventually won with steady victories, so too will the quest for Palestinian statehood be ultimately realised.

We will continue to pursue progressive internationalism and advance principled solidarity. Our own history and experience demands no less of us.

On global platforms we will continue to push for reform of the institutions of global governance, including the UN Security Council, and for them to better reflect and give a greater voice to developing countries.

We will continue to push for the international financial institutions and the multilateral development banks to be reformed and to provide greater financial and technical support to developing countries to meet their most pressing needs.

South Africa is preparing to host the annual G20 Summit in 2025.

We are pleased that our campaign to include the African Union as a member of the G20 was successful.
This is an important platform to advance the interests of Africa and other countries of the Global South, and to mobilise support for a more just and equal world order.

Last year, South Africa played an instrumental role in the expansion of the BRICS bloc of countries. This presents favourable trade and investment opportunities for our country, which we will continue to pursue in the course of the seventh administration.

We will continue to urge developed economies to meet their responsibilities and obligations to developing economies to provide support for climate change adaptation and mitigation, in line with their commitments under the Paris Agreement.
 
As the Government of National Unity, we will continuously pursue a foreign policy based on the national interest, our country’s economic objectives, and in furtherance of human rights and fundamental freedoms for all.

In the same speech at the meeting of the OAU in 1994, Madiba concluded thus:

“If freedom was the crown which the fighters of liberation sought to place on the head of mother Africa, let the upliftment, the happiness, prosperity and comfort of her children be the jewel of the crown.”

We are now a Government of National Unity, formed in the cause of rebuilding our nation.

We are committed to putting our differences aside and working together for the common good. Behind us are 62 million South Africans who want and need us to succeed.
As Minister Groenewald has said, we have before us an opportunity to restore and build. So let us use this opportunity.

In challenging and difficult times, this unity will be our comfort, our courage and our greatest strength. It is time to get South Africa working again.

I thank you.