Hon Chairperson and hon members of the House, the 1994 Reconstruction and Development Programme document stated that, and I quote:
No political democracy can survive and flourish if the mass of our people remain in poverty, without land, without tangible prospects for a better life. Attacking poverty and deprivation must therefore be the first priority of our democratic government.
We are now celebrating 19 years of democracy. We have been celebrating Human Rights Day for 19 years. This means that we celebrate our freedom, our democracy, our right to vote and our right to education. We celebrate gender equality and our right to practise our religion. While we do this, we must also look around us and tell ourselves that there is still a lot of work that needs to be done in South Africa.
In spite of being able to celebrate Human Rights Day and having all our rights, there are still underlying issues of racism, gender inequality, disabled people experiencing being refused the right or access to education, people experiencing being refused access to water on farms, and people experiencing being refused access to safety and security in our country. This is still happening around us, especially in this province.
Knowing this, we still need to educate South Africa. [Applause.] We need to educate our women, our youth, people with disabilities and children about their rights and how to access their rights. Some of us know about our rights and we demand our rights, but forget that these rights come with responsibilities.
Knowing our rights and also simply being unique as South Africans, we also need to look around and outside our borders to see how the violation of rights is happening in other parts of the world and in Africa.
Not so long ago we read about a young girl who was shot because she dared to speak about the right to education for the girl-child. We hear about ethnic cleansing, and we read about women being beaten to death for flimsy, silly reasons. As we celebrate Human Rights Day, we are constantly reminded of the need to tell our stories of our achievements with regard to human rights.
Well, in spite of our achievements and the stories that we tell, we still have the triple challenges of unemployment, poverty and inequality. At the bottom of South Africa's economic challenges is a structural economic challenge that, if left unaddressed, will exacerbate the growing income inequality. These challenges relate to a skewed pattern of ownership and production characterised by inequality, dualism and marginalisation.
Our economic policy, so far, has focused on derationalising the economy and empowering black people. The powerful role of capital over the economy, as owners and controllers, has always been downplayed in so far as it was discriminatory. Over time there have been many proposals for a partnership between state and capital, but the economy has stalled, inequality has increased and massive social problems still remain.
Inequality in South Africa is higher now than it was in 1994. The rich are richer than they were back then and the poor are not that much richer than they were before. Are we serious when we talk about changing the structure of the economy? Will businesses assist government to change the structure of the economy so that we can get rid of the triple challenges of poverty, inequality and unemployment? Economic priorities should address the changes that the economic system needs to undergo over the next five years.
Our President, in his state of the nation address, also spoke about the work and the achievements of government - work to improve the economy and provide jobs for our people. He made mention of the R860 billion that has been spent on infrastructure since 2009, the shift in the transportation of coal from road to rail in Mpumalanga, the construction of the Majuba rail- coal line, the improvement in the movement of goods and economic integration through the Durban-Free State-Gauteng logistics and industrial corridor, and construction to develop a new trans-shipment hub. These are but a few of the projects in terms of which we can see job creation taking place.
The focus areas for economic development will be seen in the National Development Plan, the New Growth Path, the Industrial Policy Action Plan and the youth, small businesses and the co-operatives sector.
The ANC confirmed that National Development Plan 2030 is to be South Africa's vision for socioeconomic development. This plan aims to eliminate poverty and reduce inequality by 2030. According to this plan, South Africa can realise these goals by drawing on the energies of its own people, growing an inclusive economy, building capabilities, enhancing the capacity of the state, and promoting leadership and partnership throughout society.
The NDP also supports the stance that public employment should be expanded to provide work for the unemployed, with a specific focus on youth and women. The transformation of the economy should involve the active participation and empowerment of women.
The New Growth Path seizes on the potential of the new economies, such as the green economy, investment in social capital and public services, as well as spatial development.
The NDP and its NGP are complementary in their effort to lower costs in the economy, especially as high costs contribute towards limited employment growth and increase hardship for poor households. The Industrial Policy Action Plan involves phased support for manufacturing to support and encourage activities that generate employment on a large scale and meet the basic needs at a lower cost in the short to medium term.
With regard to the youth, small businesses and the co-operatives sector, the ANC will campaign for both massive opportunities for young people and improve their full employability. The pillars that ground the support for the youth employment drive are the following: that economic considerations be defined by an unambiguous commitment to providing jobs for all young people of the land, the need to reduce inequalities through the provision of jobs, and the need for all South Africans to act collectively in the fight against massive unemployment.
All of us in this House and every South African in our country have the responsibility to report crime. We cannot expect government to act alone against corruption, domestic violence and the abuse of women. Each of us in this House has a collective responsibility. [Applause.] Many of us have that responsibility. So, all of us in South Africa should stay united in the advancement of the economic freedom of all our people. I thank you, Chair. [Applause.]