Hon Chairperson, members of this House and representatives from provincial legislatures, our hon Deputy Ministers and hon councillor delegates from SA Local Government Association, Salga. We are gathered here, inspired by the vision that the people of South Africa, defined for the South Africa of the future, when the people met in 1955. It was in Kliptown, which is in
Gauteng Province, that our forebears declared that, "The people shall govern!"
In the words of Gauteng Premier, the hon David Makhura, during Gauteng 2019 State of the Province Address, Gauteng 2019 Sopa:
As government, we need to understand that the people of our province are proud people and believe in doing things for themselves, instead of depending on government for everything. They often say to me, during Ntirhisano, that they need a helping hand from their government, not handouts and patronage. This is their attitude; this is their spirit.
The spirit of the people of Gauteng! It is in this spirit that this democratic government, led by the glorious ANC, has adopted the Taking Parliament to the People programme since 2002. The ANC's firm principle is that no government may claim legitimacy unless it is based on the will of the people. An economy of inclusive growth and an economic development project that benefits all people of South Africa remains the fundamental policy position for this ANC-led government.
In his state of the nation address, our beloved President, Matamela Ramaphosa, emphasised the need for inclusive economic growth. This clarion call resonates well with the Freedom Charter's declaration that, "The people shall share in the wealth of the country". Job creation, poverty alleviation and fighting inequality remain apex priorities of the ANC. Decent and sustainable jobs for women and our youth is paramount in the ANC policy. Interventions of the Gauteng Provincial Government indeed impressed us during the time we spent in Taking Parliament to the People of Gauteng.
The Gauteng Government convinced us that the National Development Plan's Outcome 4 is being implemented with seriousness. The National Development Plan requires government to find a balance between a stable economic environment and investment. The ANC leadership in Gauteng successfully implements inclusive growth and challenges the structural inequalities, so as to ensure more equitable distribution of wealth.
In his 2019 State of the Province Address, our hon Premier David Makhura, correctly characterises what he calls, "The Spirit of Gauteng", as the resilience and determination of people to succeed. Gauteng is the most populous province in our country owing to its economic and industrial edge, as compared to other provinces.
This may serve as strength as well as a challenge to the province. It is strength because the population provide human resources which are essential for economic growth. Like many other ANC-led provinces, Gauteng has recorded commendable milestones in growing our economy to benefit all our people.
The ANC has laid the legislative framework to transform our economy to benefit the majority of South Africans. However, there is much more to be done. The struggle continues! As we say in the ANC: Aluta Continua! As of 2017, the economy of Gauteng recorded R1,5 trillion as GDP. We have seen 5,163 million people being in employment in Gauteng province in 2018.
The Socio-Economic Review journal of the province of Gauteng in 2018 highlights some of the achievements recorded in the province since 2016. The review shows that the economy of the province has grown faster than that of the country - in the last three years. However, the review highlights the persistent challenges of unemployment and inequality in the province, which are still defined by race, geography, generationalism and gender. Some of the challenges which contribute to unemployment, inequality and poverty were highlighted by the citizens of this province when we were there in the 2018 leg of Taking Parliament to the People programme.
The people of this province indicated, amongst other things, the challenges of: Lack of transformation of the economy and lack of jobs being created; poor access to finance, especially for SMMEs; the challenge of urban poverty; the need for industrial parks, especially in the townships; and the reduction of red tape in policy, legislation and regulations.
Therefore, we have our hon chair of chairs here today; so that he can go back to the Gauteng Provincial Legislature and make sure that we do better than what we have done in the last five years. These challenges are indeed a serious concern to us, as people's servants in the NCOP, and must be addressed accordingly.
The ANC, in its 54th National Congress Resolutions, resolved to strongly advocate for the need to diversify the economy to benefit rural and township areas with a special focus on women and youth in poor communities. The people that suffered economic exploitation, job reservation and discrimination for over 300 years of colonialism - which we still hear the Premier here in the Western Cape supporting ... [Interjections.]