Deputy Speaker, the ANC welcomes the findings of the report released by the SA Institute of Race Relations tracking the performance of black people in the economy and broader society over several decades, with a special emphasis on the post-1994 period. The report asserts that the widely held notion that racial transformation in South Africa has failed is not true, although the report acknowledges that much still needs to be done to create opportunities for black people.
The report highlights, to name but a few, that the number of black African people that are employed has doubled since 1994; the proportion of black people - black African, coloured and Indian - in top management jobs has almost doubled from 13% to 24% since 2000; the proportion of judges who are black has increased from 25% to 62% since 2000; and average individual monthly earnings from employment of black Africans have increased by more than 90% since 2006.
This report vindicates the ANC and reaffirms our assertion that 20 years into our democracy, the ANC has made much progress in improving the quality of life of our people. However, we recognise that in order to meet the goals of our revolution and the new challenges facing us, we need to grow the economy to enable us to meet the needs of our people, create more decent work opportunities and sustainable livelihoods. Thank you. [Applause.]