President Cyril Ramaphosa has emphasized the importance of the public sector in creating jobs once again, but also stated that the private sector creates by far the most jobs.
Responding to charges that he is creating a bloated bureaucracy in his office, Ramaphosa responded to the debate over the State of the Nation Address (SONA).
Members of Parliament (MPs) were told by Ramaphosa that the government is doing everything possible to ensure that the private sector is not hampered. He claims the unit is in his office because red tape isn’t limited to a single department and that coordinating multiple employment stimulus programs is difficult.
COVID-19
Ramaphosa says the measures government has undertaken following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic have helped preserve the lives and livelihoods of South Africans, especially the poorest section.
“We introduced an unprecedented social and econ relief package which amounted to 10% of our GDP. We confronted the COVID-19 pandemic with great strength commitment to save the people and the businesses in our country.”
Fighting corruption
The President says that government has made significant strides in the fight against corruption. He has however, dismissed accusations that he has not done enough to prosecute those accused of corruption.
Prosecuting people, he says, is not the job of the President. He emphasised however, that all has been done to strengthen the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) to enable it to do its work.
Ramphosa also spoke about the importance of keeping the faith in the face of hardship.
“At times it may seem that the path is too long. And it may also seem like it is not achieving much. We have a responsibility to first and foremost to those who are poor.”
President Cyril Ramaphosa replies to SONA debate:
