Chair, Minister, the National Infrastructure Plan was adopted by the South African government in 2012. The government's aim with the plan was to transform our economic landscape, while simultaneously creating significant numbers of new jobs and strengthening the delivery of basic services.
It is supposed to be common knowledge that investment in infrastructure results in a growing economy. That is what we and the rest of the world thought, but the ANC managed to prove us wrong. The unemployment rate has deteriorated over the last 25 years and currently stands at 38%, including discouraged job seekers. Youth unemployment rose to an unacceptable 58,1% - the highest in the world.
The question now stands: Has no money been spent on infrastructure until now? Infrastructure investment and development is after all the backbone of and a prerequisite for economic growth and employment.
Statistics SA's September 2019 Quarterly Employment Statistics survey showed that an estimated 10 142 000 people were employed in the formal nonagricultural sector of the South African economy, which is down by 28 000, only for this quarter. SAA is talking about another 2 000 jobs that might be cut.
But, why? Why is this happening? Didn't government invest money in infrastructure since 1994? Didn't government and public entities invest more than R1 trillion in the National Infrastructure Plan between 2009 and 20l4? Didn't government and public entities invest another R300 billion in the same infrastructure plan between 2016 and 2017?
According to a Business Tech article, the e-toll project cost South Africa R20,6 billion. How many people are employed today as a result of the e-toll system?
Afrikaans:
Die huidige ekonomiese situasie, werkloosheid en vervalle infrastruktuur kan nie aan historiese skuld, misgunde geleenthede, die 2008 finansile ineenstorting of die covid-19 virus toegeskryf word nie, maar slegs die