Chairperson, the colloquium agreed with the ANC 53rd National Conference in Mangaung in 2012, when the ANC declared to South Africa and the world that as we entered the second phase of transition, we had to move with speed to realise radical economic transformation.
In my opinion, this radical economic transformation means, in essence, that we must break ranks with the past and break ranks with the policies that sustain ignorance, underdevelopment and slander. It calls for a decisive break with the consumption-driven economy. It further calls for a decisive break with the commodity-driven economy. It means breaking ranks with structural imbalances in our economy.
We must move with speed, as the ANC says, to transform the structure of the economy through reindustrialisation, consolidating broad-based black economic empowerment and creating black industrialists, as well as strengthening the hand of the state in the economy and expanding its influence, and driving the state-owned enterprises to come to the party, including the private sector. [Interjections.]
These resolutions and policy proposals call for accelerated beneficiation through value addition, especially in the productive sectors of our economy.
We are implementing these proposals because we know that the shortcomings in the South African economy reflect the fact that the constraints to our growth are deep and structural. These structural problems require structural solutions that transform the trajectory of economic growth and the architecture of our economy.
As agreed by the colloquium, hon Shivambu, we are not acting in movies here; we are running a country. [Interjections.] The ANC is not going to implement populist and reckless policies. We are running a country here. [Interjections.]
So, this debate today is very important because it deals directly with industrialisation in South Africa wherein matters of value addition, ... [Interjections.] ...