YESTERDAY'S REMARKS BY ANC TREASURER-GENERAL MATHEWS PHOSA TO THE EASTERN CAPE PEC, January 30 2011

1. Job creation is the absolute priority for our party, the alliance, and government for the next few years.

2. Substantial resources will go into an all out effort to ensure that we stem the tide of job losses, and over time, turn a negative situation into a positive one.

3. The following will be the basis of our strategy for this comprehensive job creation strategy:

• The further expansion of our successful infrastructure development strategy;
• Agro-processing, specifically in the rural areas;
• Further developing the mining value chain;
• Encouraging and promoting broad-based manufacturing;
• Building on the successes of 2010 to take tourism to the level where it becomes a consistent, sustainable and growing job creator;
• Channelling the global experiences in the green economy phenomenon into South Africa through developing practical projects around solar and wind energy in areas best suited for it such as the Eastern Cape;
• Developing our knowledge economy through, amongst others, ensuring enhanced and improved ICT skills in our educational and related programs;
• Ensuring that our development programs link into other programs in the Southern African region and the continent specifically where it has substantial job creation potential across borders.

4. We want to ensure that the National Health Insurance program is rolled out as soon as possible and we have instructed the Inter Ministerial Committee that deals with this issue to complete its work and report to Cabinet. Our aim is to have a white paper ready for comment next month.

5. Success with this programme will allow us to deliver on our undertakings on creating a better life for all, and specifically improved access to quality health services for all.

6. The improvement of service delivery across all three tiers of government is an absolute top priority for this government.

7. One of the ways in which we aim to achieve this is through the creation of a public sector academy to ensure that we grow and nurture a corps of highly skilled and competent officials spread across the country.

8. Whatever the arguments for and against, we need to ensure that good and honest governance and the principles around it becomes the mantra for all officials at all levels of government, and that we can repeat such principles and guidelines in our sleep.

9. One of the ways in which we can achieve a clean government is to ensure that we improve and sharpen the spears of our whistle-blowing and anti-corruption legislation, campaigns and management of it on the ground.

10. Zero tolerance for corruption will allow us to free up billions of rands for our delivery campaigns and projects.

11. On specific issues around our capacity creation as well as job creation projects, the following are important:

• We have decided to implement some elements of the New Growth Path Plan, and improve it as we go along.
• Other issues need further consultation with relevant stakeholders to achieve broader consensus.
• Our leadership is afraid of policy paralysis and we believe it's time for implementation rather than endless debate.
• The further implementation of the plans around the Medupi and Kusile power stations shows our commitment to large infrastructure creation projects that has the possibility to create substantial jobs over a longer term.
• Emerging and small scale farming will be a priority, specifically capacity creation and sustainable funding.
• In line with the centrality of our job creation program, we have tasked our state owned enterprises to improve their performances as it relates to promoting and funding projects that will create more jobs.
• We want to ensure that a substantial number of mud schools are transformed into proper and modern structures.
• On the same subject, the priority of improving the systems and programs for skills upgrading for teachers everywhere is now a top priority.
• In line with making financial services more accessible we want to ensure that the progress around transforming the Post Office Bank into a fully fledged bank with its wings spread across the country, should immediately be accelerated.

12. All of the above, of course, needs to be seen in the context of our election mandate to deliver, but also in the context of the upcoming local government elections.

13. Only if we deliver on the comprehensive program above, can we stand confident that the voters will-again-return us into office with a large majority.

Thank you

Issued by the African National Congress, January 31 2011

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