THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY
QUESTION FOR WRITTEN REPLY
Question 1004
Mr S J F Marais (DA) to ask the Minister of Trade and Industry:
(1) Whether his department has aligned its policies and strategy with the
objectives of a developmental state, as referred to in the medium-term
strategic framework (MTSF); if not, why not; if so, what are the
relevant details;
(2) Whether this alignment of policies and strategy was developed with
reference to other developmental states around the world such as South
Korea, Japan, Thailand and Malaysia; if not, why not; if so, what are
the relevant details;
(3) Whether a government capacity to deliver services and maintain proper
administration is a critical factor of a developmental state; if not,
why not; if so, how is this provided for in the (a) strategy and/or
(b) policy statement of his department?NW1227E
Response:
(1) The Medium Term Strategic Framework identifies, inter alia, the
following, as the overarching strategic priorities that the dti has
aligned its policies and strategy with:
⢠speeding up growth and transforming the economy to create decent
work and sustainable livelihoods
⢠massive programme to build economic and social infrastructure
⢠pursue regional development, African advancement and enhanced
international co-operation
⢠sustainable resource management and use
⢠build a developmental state, including improvement of public
services and strengthening democratic institutions.
the dti believes that the National Industrial Policy Framework and
Action Plan to advance it, are aligned with and supportive of the MTSF
and the priorities identified in it. Through various industrial sector
strategies and projects, financial support schemes, market access and
investment promotion initiatives, and economic regulation, amongst
others, the dti aims to contribute to speeding up growth and to
transforming the economy to create decent work and sustainable
livelihoods, as well as contribute to other MTSF priorities. In the
immediate period ahead, the dti intends scaling up these interventions,
as well as the departmentâs capacity, with a view to enhancing their
overall impact.
Also, the dti plays a key role in fostering coordination across
departments and tiers of government, through relevant clusters and
fora; as well as with organised business and labour, including through
the National Economic Development and Labour Council. In this context,
the dti is part of implementing the various measures identified in the
framework for responding to the global economic crisis, which has been
agreed between government, labour and business in February 2009.
In this way, the dti sees itself as being integral to the
developmental state envisaged in the MTSF.
(2) the dti has undertaken extensive research and consulted widely in
developing the National Industrial Policy Framework, including local
and international experts in this field. In this context, reference
has been made to the experiences of the likes of South Korea, Japan,
Thailand, Malaysia, and several others, such as the current
experiences of Brazil and India. Moreover, research and consultations
of this nature are ongoing, in order to continually inform and update
the policies and programmes of the dti. In this connection, the dti
maintains a network of experts and actors from key sectors, including
within government, and convenes occasional forums for discussions and
engagement.
3) Adequate capacity to intervene - in intellectual, technical,
organisational and financial terms - is a key defining feature and
pre-requisite of the developmental state. Consequently, the continual
enhancement of the capacity of the dti is a priority objective of the
department, and efforts are currently being undertaken, including to
reduce the vacancy rate, particularly in key posts, and to develop the
dtiâs overall human resources. These efforts will be stepped up in the
immediate period ahead.