Ramaphosa promises more than 100,000 jobs and lower data costs

CAPE TOWN - A huge promise(s) of more than 100, 000 jobs, lower data costs, President Cyril Ramaphosa outlined seven priorities for the new administration when he delivered his State of the Nation Address on Thursday night.

THE 7 BIG PROMISES

Ramaphosa's government will deliver on his 7 big promises, which are economic transformation and job creation; education, skills and health; consolidating the social wage through reliable and quality basic services; spatial integration, human settlements and local government; social cohesion and safer communities; a capable, ethical and development state and finally a better Africa and World.

The President also said that in an economy that is not growing, at a time when public finances are limited, his government will not be able to do everything at one time.

"All our programmes and policies across all departments and agencies will be directed in pursuit of these overarching tasks. At the same time, we must restore the National Development Plan to its place at the centre of our national effort, to make it alive, to make it part of the lived experience of the South African people," said Ramaphosa.

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THE NEXT 10-YEARS

South Africa's number 1 Citizen said that within the next 10-years his administration will have made progress in tackling poverty, inequality and unemployment, where:

• No person in South Africa will go hungry.
• Our economy will grow at a much faster rate than our population.
• Two million more young people will be in employment.
• Our schools will have better educational outcomes and every 10-year old will be able to read for meaning.
• Violent crime will be halved.

"Let us make these commitments now to ourselves and to each other, knowing that they will stretch our resources and capabilities, but understanding that if we achieve these five goals, we will have fundamentally transformed our society," said Ramaphosa.

LAND TO BUILD HOMES

Ramaphosa said that the government have made great progress in providing housing, but also admitted that South Africans still need land to build homes and earn livelihoods.

"In the next five years, we will accelerate the provision of well-located housing and land to poor South Africans," said the President.

HEALTH OF SOUTH AFRICANS

He also added that to improve the quality of life of South Africans, to reduce poverty in all its dimensions and to strengthen the country's economy, they will attend to the health of 'our people'.

SUPPORT AND BUY LOCAL PRODUCTS

Ramaphosa also called on all South Africans to deliberately and consistently buy locally-made goods.

"The suit, the shirt and tie I am wearing today was locally made by South African textile workers working at the House of Monatic here in Saltriver, Cape Town," said Ramaphosa in emphasizing the buying of local products.

AGREEMENTS WITH RETAILERS TO STOCK LOCAL PRODUCTS

He said that within the next five years, they seek to conclude agreements with retailers to stock more South African goods on their shelves and to actively promote the great products made by South African hands.

"At the same time, we will promote our products more actively to the rest of the African continent and the world," said Ramaphosa.

RAMAPHOSA IS HOPEFUL

When it comes to being hopeful at such difficult time, Ramaphosa said: "I am hopeful because I have walked with the people of this country, the nurses, health care workers, our men and women in uniform, the teachers in our schools, the students who despite their family's hardships are determined to succeed, and the youth who are trying to start their own businesses, to invent and create, and to rise above their circumstances.

"It's you who give me courage, and to whom I offer courage in return. Working together there's nothing we cannot be, nothing we cannot do, and nothing we cannot achieve," said Ramaphosa.

READ PRESIDENT RAMAPHOSA'S FULL SPEECH - STATE OF THE NATION ADDRESS 2019

Reporting by Buchule Raba - editor@goxtranews.com 

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