Chairperson, hon Minister Patel has highlighted, throughout his speech, the importance of employment creation and the plight of the people in our country, who, through their inability to find work, cannot support themselves or their families. This resultant unemployment of 5,8 million people affects the poverty status of people as well as causing inequality.
The Minister has highlighted the precarious existence of South Africans, with inadequate jobs and far too high a level of working poor. The 2009 ANC electoral manifesto highlighted the importance of creating decent work through inclusive, labour-absorptive economic growth.
The focus on decent work is an important approach of the ANC government, geared at creating work and decreasing inequality while gradually alleviating poverty.
Hon Sinclair, this is a result created by the previous apartheid regime of the National Party to which you once belonged. You jumped to the ANC and now to Cope.
The national department plays an important role in developing policies and guiding the framework within which the provincial departments align and act as the operating arms of the national department. The Gauteng provincial department of economic development is fully aligned with the strategies and policies as outlined by the national Minister.
The primary mandate of the Gauteng provincial department is to create decent work, through inclusive, labour-absorptive economic growth that promotes sustainable livelihoods and alleviates poverty and inequality. However, the provincial government has been innovative, and bold in the manner in which this priority is achieved.
The provincial department has acknowledged that there is structural unemployment, where unemployment rates have never broached the 21% level in the province, despite an average economic growth rate of nearly 6% over the period 2005 to 2007. The recession has exacerbated unemployment rates and poverty levels.
The department has focused on addressing the mandate of the provincial and national government by focusing on transforming the provincial economy through improved efficiency; sustainable employment creation; increasing economic equity and ownership; investing in people and sustainable communities; and social cohesion.
There are a series of short-term interventions as well as medium- to long- term interventions that will be implemented over the next year and over the medium term. The short-term interventions aim to address the structural unemployment and the impact of the economic recession, while the medium- to long-term interventions aim to progressively transform the Gauteng provincial economy.
Hon Sinclair, do you hear what Gauteng is going to do? The phasing-in is important, as is the vision to develop a growth path that focuses on the primary and secondary sectors, on the formal and informal sectors, on institutions ...