Chairperson, the ACDP is in full agreement that efforts to eradicate unemployment have a far greater chance of success if the building of local industries is a key focus. In order to create decent or good, honest work we must not only build what is local but attract industries from near and far to relocate to South Africa.
The ACDP is convinced that a particular focus on rural development through incentives for industries to relocate to rural areas, will address many problems, including those resulting from mass urban migration; incentives that include the necessary infrastructure and training facilities for relevant skills to facilitate these industries. It will also be important to reduce the cost and obstacles of doing business. Steps must be taken to reduce red tape and streamline approval processes. The ACDP would like to see greater support for small business development with greater access to financial assistance and mentorship programmes; more privatisation and labour-intensive initiatives; the streamlining of labour legislation to remove obstructions to growth within the framework of fair labour practices; a focus on investment in infrastructure to address the power crisis, ports, roads, public transportation, water and sanitation systems; the development of a culture of savings, investment and the patient building of capital, and hard work.
We would also like to see broader socioeconomic upliftment instead of the current culture of entitlement and the enrichment of a small group; training and development within industries through grants, tax incentives for apprenticeship, appropriate skills and for labour-intensive practices; a greater emphasis on beneficiation or adding value to raw materials, particularly in the mining and agricultural industries; initiatives to address the developmental challenges of women, in particular rural women; and intensified efforts towards fair trade internationally.
The ACDP believes that this will lead to the creation of decent work, of jobs and entrepreneurship, helping us to win the fight against unemployment. The ACDP has noted with interest that in both rural and urban communities, initiatives centred on working with markets that draw on existing activities among the poor have proven beneficial and should be encouraged. Where goods and services are delivered without linking people to market opportunities, despite good intentions these initiatives are just not sustainable and ultimately fail, leaving people more despondent than ever.
The role of the state should always be primarily that of providing security; upholding the rule of law; ensuring society has the right institutions and infrastructure for effective development; building capacity; extending property rights to as many as possible; and providing an uncomplicated regulatory framework. Thank you.