By: Natasha Archary
President Cyril Ramaphosa has welcomed the 10-year review report of the National Development Plan, which was presented by the National Planning Commission (NPC), on Tuesday, 01 August.
The NPC briefed Ramaphosa on their findings at the Union Buildings, having reviewed the country’s progress against the objectives and targets of the National Development Plan: Vision 2030 over the past decade.
One of the main findings made in the Ten-Year Review of the NPC was that the economy was not only failing to grow at the rate required for the objectives of NDP to materialise, but the economy was also not structured to serve the interests of all South Africans, resulting in poverty and inequality remaining extremely high and persistent.
The report further stated that the economic, social, and spatial legacies of apartheid, inappropriate economic policies that prevent redistribution, and the hollowing out of state capacity during the state capture years continue to undermine both South Africa’s competitiveness and the potential of its people.
The review recommended that planning be institutionalised and made a cross-cutting imperative across the state and Government sector to enable the country to make the necessary progress towards the attainment of the NDP goals and targets.
Deputy Chairperson of the Commission, Professor Tinyiko Maluleke said the recommendation is for planning to be institutionalised and made a cross-cutting imperative across the state and Government sector to enable the country to make the necessary progress towards attaining the goals and targets of the NDP.
“We need to embark on a course of action to get the country back on the developmental path envisaged by the Plan and place more focus on resolving key issues related to the provision of energy, addressing infrastructure backlogs including transport and freight, building state capacity, and addressing the apartheid spatial legacies.”
Deputy Chairperson of the Commission, Professor Tinyiko Maluleke
The President committed his support to the commission and shared he understands the importance of strong leadership and partnership with labour, civil society, communities and business in effecting the envisaged change.
“The 10-year review of the NDP will assist us in identifying the systemic issues that limit the effectiveness of the state and its social partners in making greater progress.
We need to be able to plan better to integrate and coordinate the work of different departments and institutions, and to ensure that we are using our limited resources most effectively.”
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