Hon Speaker; hon Deputy Speaker; hon Deputy President, Kgalema Motlanthe; Ministers and Deputy Ministers; hon members of the House; special guests, next year South Africa will mark 20 years of freedom and democracy. In celebrating this milestone, we will recommit ourselves to achieving a truly united, nonracial, nonsexist, democratic and prosperous society.
We have come a long way since 1994, and South Africa is definitely a much better country today than it was then. [Applause.] We have a Constitution that extends equal rights to all, born out of the experience of the domination of one group by another, and an oppressive state. From the ashes of apartheid colonialism, hatred and divisions, we committed ourselves to building a new society, a South Africa that is a home for all, especially the black majority that had been excluded for centuries.
It has not been an easy road, as President Mandela told us in 1994. It is a long road to the type of society we want to achieve, but we are getting there steadily.
Yinde le ndlela esiyihambayo. [There's a long road lying ahead.]
Madiba warned us too, at the birth of democracy, that none of us, acting alone, can achieve success. Informed by that message from President Mandela in 2009, the fourth administration came into being, with the core message, "Working together, we can do more".
The state of the nation address 2013 outlined the progress made in bringing about a better life, based on the 2009 electoral mandate. We announced five priorities then - education; health; rural development and land reform; the fight against crime; and creating decent work. We gave an account of what government has done in implementing its 2009-14 programme of action. As outlined in the state of the nation address, the economy is our biggest focal point, especially during this time of global economic recession and slow economic growth.
As we strive to boost the competitiveness of our economy in a gloomy global climate, we are encouraged by some reports that have come out recently. Last week, the global business and audit advisory firm Grant Thornton stated that South Africa has maintained its position as the leading emerging economy on the African continent, in terms of potential investment destinations. [Applause.] The report, entitled Emerging Markets Opportunity Index: High Growth Economies, ranked the 27 largest emerging economies in terms of their potential for business investment. It reported that South Africa had climbed one place, to 14th position. [Applause.]
Ernst & Young, in its report, also said local economic fundamentals were sound and that a steady acceleration of growth over the medium term was expected. However, they also pointed out that the country's short-term economic challenges, such as the current account deficit and debt levels, needed to be addressed in the upcoming 2013 Budget. The Minister of Finance will deliver the Budget Speech next Wednesday.
According to an average weighting by the World Bank, Transparency International and the World Economic Forum, among others, South Africa is among the highest-ranked emerging markets. [Applause.] More importantly, investors also realise these advantages and are continuing to invest in South Africa. Our tax relief incentives announced in 2011 have resulted in an increase in foreign direct investment. We can take account of the recent investment of R800 million in Boksburg by Unilever, which is one of their largest investments globally. The Swiss multinational Nestl has opened two new factories in the town of Babelegi north of Pretoria. [Applause.] This is part of a R500 million investment in its South African operations, and creates over 130 permanent jobs in the process. The Department of Trade and Industry has also approved applications from our local manufacturers, such as Tiger Brands, Aspen and Nampak. Building on these successes, we continue to deal with the factors that constrain growth and keep jobs away.
A key intervention in this regard is our rolling infrastructure programme. The Ministers of Economic Development and Public Enterprises provided detailed reports on the infrastructure projects and the progress we are making. This, surely, assisted those hon members who claimed not to know what the infrastructure programme has achieved to date. [Applause.]
In line with the National Development Plan, NDP, we are also building partnerships to promote investments, support small, medium and micro enterprises, SMMEs, or to improve the energy supply, as part of a further unlocking of growth. We are improving skills development, hence the expansion of the training of artisans and people in other scarce skills, as outlined by the Minister of Higher Education and Training. We are also building and strengthening trade links with the fastest growing parts of the world, including sub-Saharan Africa.
Also important is the need to restore stability at the mines. The Minister of Mineral Resources is currently meeting with the affected parties to address the challenges in that sector. I urge all stakeholders to commit themselves to this process.
Youth unemployment has been raised sharply in the debate. The hon Manamela and the hon Makhubela-Mashele outlined the necessary mechanisms that can assist us in dealing with youth unemployment. [Applause.] We come from a culture of engagement and seeking consensus on issues. It is for this reason that youth unemployment has been tabled at Nedlac for discussion by social partners. They have discussed a broader range of youth employment incentive schemes.
These incentives will complement the current short-term employment initiatives, such as the Expanded Public Works Programme, the National Rural Youth Service Corps, the Community Work programme, programmes within the SA National Defence Force, and many others. It is sad that the hon Adams has such a gloomy view of the country and youth development initiatives. Hopefully, she will soon join in and be part of finding solutions.
Let me emphasise that we are, indeed, very happy with the progress made in other priorities, as well, for example in the health sector. The past trend of a decline in life expectancy has been reversed, and life expectancy is now firmly on an upward trend. [Applause.] I suggest that hon members of the opposition may have missed information on this important national achievement, which has excited even the United Nations and research institutions. At the same time, the battle against the pandemic still continues and we dare not become complacent.
Hon Bhoola, you are correct. [Laughter.] [Applause.] [Interjections.]