Modulasetulo, Letona e leng Mohlomphehi Patel, Motlatsi wa Letona ya hlomphehang, Mme Mkhize, ditho tse hlomphehang ka mona ka Ntlong le baeti ba hlomphehang, katleho ya tokoloho ya rona ya selemo sa 1994 e neile batho ba Afrika Borwa monyetla wa ho batla kgolo ya moruo. (Translation of Sesotho paragraph follows.)
[Ms M M MOHOROSI: Chairperson, hon Minister Patel, hon Deputy Minister, hon Mkhize, hon members in the House as well as distinguished guests, the success of our freedom in 1994 has afforded people of South Africa the opportunity to aspire towards economic growth.]
The ANC's 2009 Election Manifesto outlined a clear and unambiguous path for government in its role in trade and regional integration. It stated that the struggle against poverty and underdevelopment is also an international struggle; that foreign policy would need to continue to focus on efforts of reconstruction and development in the Southern African region and Africa in general.
In this context, the ANC government has continued to play a leading role in working towards regional economic integration in Southern Africa, and socioeconomic development on the continent. Specifically, this has meant building cohesion, unity, democracy and prosperity in the Southern African Development Community, SADC, and strengthening our capability to respond to the challenges we face.
The regional economic integration in Southern Africa that we speak of as the ANC is premised upon a fair, equitable and developmental basis, promoting SADC integration based on a developmental model that includes infrastructure development, co-operation in the real economy and development of a regional supply chain.
The approach is informed by the ANC and government's national economic policy framework, the New Growth Path. This provides bold, imaginative and effective strategies to create the millions of jobs South Africa needs. Of course, as the ANC, we agree that we need jobs because we are saying: A better life for all.
The framework also lays out a dynamic vision for how we collectively can achieve a more developed, democratic, cohesive and equitable economy and society over the medium term in the context of sustained growth. The shift to the New Growth Path has required leadership and strong governance. It has, in its implementation, taken into account new opportunities, the economic strengths we have, and tried to deal effectively with the constraints we face. Changing the character of the South African economy and ensuring that the benefits are shared more equitably by all our people, particularly the poor, is a task. Let me assure you, we are equal to that task.
That unemployment is very high, we as the ANC are saying we are aware of. Because the hon Ngonyama is from the ANC, he knows about unemployment and poverty, and has been talking about these things. They did not start today, but started a long time ago. He failed during his time as Minister in the ANC-led government. [Applause.]
The strategy calls for a case-by-case analysis of tariff setting, ie each sector must be considered in its own right and in relation to its strategic role in the linkages of the economic structure. In this context, it is important that concrete trade policy instruments are urgently applied to support the domestic production of the types of goods that we have agreed to support through the Industrial Policy Action Plan, Ipap, and foster linkages between our growth sectors.
Emphasis should be placed on entering into highly beneficial bilateral trade agreements with nontraditional trading partners so as to tap into the potential presented in emerging markets such as China, India, Brazil and many African economies.