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President Jacob Zuma with his wife MaKhumalo Zuma.
President Zuma has held out the promise of boosting skills and jobs with a massive infrastructure development drive involving road, rail and water projects aimed at increasing mining, and expanding transport and logistics networks.
The government has been pushing infrastructure as a means of kickstarting the economy and reducing unemployment since at least 2010. However, his fourth State of the Nation address, delivered at Parliament last night, did not give any report-back on the progress of previously announced plans.
Cosatu general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi said Zuma had sent the right message and welcomed the infrastructure plans. But he was disappointed that Zuma had not announced the scrapping of labour brokers, and said the labour federation’s planned March 7 strike on this issue and e-tolling would go ahead.
Zuma on Thursday night, devoted much of his 18-page speech to a streamlined cluster of major projects involving mainly Limpopo, Mpumalanga, North West, the Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and the Western Cape.
Zuma also announced moves to cut the cost of doing business – including a reduction in port charges, which will help exporters, particularly in the auto industry – and asking Eskom to find ways of keeping electricity price hikes in check.
He also said a special fund he announced two years ago to help people buy their own homes would be rolled out in April.
The R1 billion loan guarantee fund would allow people who did not qualify for free RDP houses but who did not earn enough to qualify for mortgages to get loans from banks. Also, people earning between R3 500 and R15 000 would from April be able to get a subsidy of up to R83 000 from provinces to help them buy houses through an accredited bank.
Zuma said the cabinet, at its January lekgotla, had reviewed progress from 2009, rather than the past year, noting steady progress in key areas including healthcare, education, fighting crime, human settlements, energy, water provision and rural development.
But the triple challenges of unemployment, poverty and inequality remained: “Africans, women and the youth continue to suffer most.”
As mining was a critical jobs-driver, the government had developed a beneficiation strategy to create job opportunities.
Zuma said the “massive investment in infrastructure must leave more than just power stations, rail lines, dams and roads”.
The projects include:
*Road, rail and water projects in the Waterberg and Steelpoort areas in Limpopo;
* Expanded rail networks in Mpumalanga to connect coalfields to power stations;
* A Durban-Free-State-Gauteng logistics and industrial corridor, and better connection with ports;
* Developing a new node to boost industrial and agricultural development in the Eastern Cape, expanding its links with the Northern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal, and damming the Umzimvubu River in former Transkei.
Zuma put no price tag on the drive but said Transnet would plough R300 billion into capital projects over the next seven years, with R200bn for rail and ports.
He said R300m had been allocated for preliminary work towards establishing universities in Limpopo and Mpumalanga.
Noting the improved crime statistics, Zuma said the government would not become complacent.
On corruption, he said the entire state procurement system was under review by the Treasury, Sars and the Financial Intelligence Centre. This included vetting supply-chain staff in government departments. - Political Bureau
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mike , wrote
after reading most of the comments and complaining it boils down to one thing and that is we are all south africans expierancing the same problems weather black or white it does not matter the anc is robbing all south africans blind ,im a business man with a small sme trying to survive the economic crunch ive landed a small tender with goverment legal but when ever i try and get an order from them i have to pay bribe to a official before i get the order hows that for corruption what do i do i have to survive thats why i say as south africans its time to stop complaining and stand up to the goverment and corrupt polaticians like egypt and the other countries and do something enough is enough we all suffer while the goverment is raping and plundering this beautifull coutry of ours now is the time to stand up before its to late just my 50cents.
Anonymous, wrote
Huh! White South Africans think they are the only ones suffering? In South Africa even if you are a professional black South African you will never be employed by the state if you are not politically connected - no matter how competent, experienced and learned you are.
Ken, wrote
Yeah Lupercus, if this country is on the decline, how come you not heading for greener pastures. The ANC took over a broken stick and its hard to fix, especially with shortsighted people like you, always criticising what they do. Sure things like the world cups we hosted, gautrain and the like might have been short term goals, but those things are already paid for. They generated hope for this country. Created jobs too, You were probably tucked up in your little hole while the world cups were here, bitching and moaning. We are not a country in decline, on the contrary SA is one of the most stable economies in Africa. Thats a FACT! So I am one who has hope for this country, I see it in the kids faces in the schools, kids of all colours. If we as adults can not get things right, then what hope do they have. Come on people suck it up, its gonna be a long road ahead. See solutions not problems.
Anonymous, wrote
"Zuma also announced moves to cut the cost of doing business " - Ummm so why the tolls that no one wants and they have not properly justified? lol....If hes lips move hes lying....
Anonymous, wrote
"Zuma also announced moves to cut the cost of doing business " - Ummm so why the tolls that no one wants and they have not properly justified? lol....If hes lips move hes lying....
Anonymous, wrote
In this picture Mr Zuma has his hand protecting his wallet because he knows the room will be filled with ANC cadres.
@ Ken, wrote
And you do realise everything you mentioned has been done with kickbacks, false promises, money that was meant to better the country for good not for a month at a time and has squandered billions to overseas accounts? What long term benefit has there been from these events besides massive debts and huge white elephant stadiums all over SA?
@ sipho, wrote
Its very sad and unfortunate that there are still people who think like you and it really is holding SA back in mnay ways, people who have blind faith in those that steal food from their childrens mouths, those who cant see the corruption and complete sham that the ANC is, its a business, a very successful criminal business. Maybe you Sipho are on the gravy train yourself and like most cadre's protect the godfather. Give credit where credit is due? Ok here it is... Mr Zuma you can read, we are proud of you especially since you could not manage to finish school and yet preach education, I also give you credit for defrauding the country of billions and escaping your lenghty jail term, you truly have made SA into one huge criminal and corrupt hotbed, thank you for doing nothing about corruption so that you can continue to rape the tax payers of the country, you have it down to an art. We are proud of you for not understanding how AA, BEE and labour laws have moved this country back to the dark ages and alone this has accounted for millions not being able to work, stopped companies hiring and the companies who do land up being defrauded by their incompetant staff and service levels in SA have declined sharply since the inception of BEE. Is that enough credit sipho?
brasco, wrote
Yeah right ...with BBEE and AA damaging the skills core , this hairbrained false promise comes just before the elections ....BANANA anyone !
@ sipho, wrote
Give credit where credit is due??? Lol so he read he's speech well but thats as far as it will go, when money thats actually allocated and not stolen before its used to better the lives of the people then maybe we can give credit but for now this is all just smoke and mirrors and chances are it will amount to nothing. If you actually believe everything this clown says then you must be the most nieve person on planet earth and unable to comprehend that this has all been said before yet the only people living better are Zuma and his cadre's. I won't give credit to a man who used political connections to avoid prison and does absolutely nothing about the blantant corruption him and his organisation stand for.
Kyle, wrote
Im dissappointed he did not give any sign as to when BEE will end so that i can come home instead of making foreign companies richer....oh well, i guess its another 5 years in the Middle East for me :(
you are boring, wrote
@ sipho Yes lets all work together tell you what that means everyone not just people who work hard for thier money so that they can pay inflated taxes because half the population dont have jobs can pay tax. I am just a student who studies part time and works full week 9-5 and pay for my own studies , then get told i am an ***hole by some guy who comes to my door begging because i dont give him anything. Do you think he knows I pay for his water and stolen electricity.!!!!!!!
Anonymous, wrote
More hot air from an air head. At least this airhead is good at something, he is a natural born criminal. We cannot believe a word he says after he has lied to the people many, many times in the past and stolen from their mouths and those of their children. Until he is arrested and put into jail for his criminal activities there will be no end to corruption.
Billy, wrote
AHHH Sipho---the get your head out of the sand-----the anc have failed failed failed at EVERYTHING they have touched--get over yourself as for the so called "success" of the world cup only FIFA benifitted----and that my dear people is a FACT!!! Gautrain developed by companys overseas---a benifit to who exactly?? Highways and roads??? in good condition??? ---go figure and the list goes on and on and on----
Anonymous, wrote
Simply too little too late, no point closing the barn door once the horse has bolted, even if by some miracle these arent just more lies to keep the public quiet for a few months, it won't help. The ANC's corrupt methods have put this country into a downward spiral, next stop bankruptcy.
Billy, wrote
OH WELL!!! what on earth did we expect----nothing but useless drivel from this bunch---Crime coming down???? what a load of rubbish-----Private sector enhancement whatever this had got to be the most bloated public sector ever to exist!!!All bunk all garbage
ceebee, wrote
More ANC corruption on the way with big "racist BEE" tenders. They failed since 1994 to create jobs, stop corruption and improve infrastructure. Say "NO" to racism and expel the ANC.
J, wrote
Lupercus, wrote
As long as there are gullible idiots like Ken around, this country will continue to decline. We'll still be paying for stadiums 25 years from now. The money spent of the World Cup and other ventures would have built millions of homes. cleaned up all the hospitals and provided new schools, more power and better road maintenance. Get real Ken and get your priorities right and facts correct. And now we aretalking of hosting an Olympic Games - that will cost the tax payer billions! Zuma brags about jobs created, but conveniently forgets to mention jobs lost due to restrictive labour laws. He also seems to forget that the number of school leavers (over 270 000) each year exceeds by a great degree the number of jobs he says will be created. Where is the money coming from to implement these grandiose schemes, which incidentally, we have heard about every few years for the past 18 years? Zuma as a President, I'm sorry to say, has been an absolute disaster. Who will organise and implement all these programmes? Don't kid me, neither the ANC nor the DA and their appointees has the personal available to effectively implement and monitor any of these programmes. Until Governement jobs, at National, Provincial and Local levcel are awarded on merit and not on clour or political affiliation, this country will go down the same road as Zimbabwe. Abolish AA, BEE and the Equity Acxt and perhaps we'll come right in 10 years time.
Anonymous, wrote
@Ken, nicely put, our government brought freedom and democracy, but it seems that most people dont know what to do with it, they need to be led, but not by blacks, most people cant see past there own bitterness
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