Madam Deputy Speaker, the ANC welcomes the Report released by The African Economist confirming that South Africa's literacy rate continues to rise and now sits at 86,4%, up from 70,1% in 2001.
Emerging from a history of an education system that sought to restrict and subject the majority of people in this country to being hewers of wood and drawers of water, South Africa is now in the top three countries on the continent in terms of literacy.
It is catching up with countries with more historically inclusive education systems and closing a crucial gap that was intended to forever subjugate Africans, rendering them poor, unemployed and unemployable.
The ANC is extremely proud of the gains achieved in ensuring that more of our people are lifted out of the indignity of a lack of education and is opening up new worlds and opportunities for advancement and development.
These achievements are no small feat and, indeed, are a result of the delivery and concerted efforts of the ANC government to implement progressive policy and mass literacy programmes in line with our commitment to create an illiteracy-free society.
We congratulate government, civil society and other stakeholders for this achievement and call for even more commitment and dedication to totally eradicate illiteracy in South Africa. The ANC lives and the ANC leads. [Time expired.] [Applause.]