Speech of the Deputy Minister for the vote of thanks after the address of the Deputy President Deputy President, David Mabuza and Minister Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams
Premier Oscar Mabuyane
National Treasury Chief Director, Mr. Colins Sekele
MECs
Mayors
Representatives Of SEDA
Representatives Of SEFA
Leaders of Business and the Sector
Colleagues
I have been tasked to give a vote of thanks following the informative keynote address by the Deputy President of the Country and equally the Deputy President of the ruling party - Deputy President David Mabuza.
We are honoured by your presence Deputy President and without any doubt, your address in this gathering gives a policy direction that we have to take given the mandate of the 6th administration to deal with the triple challenges of poverty, unemployment and inequality in building a developmental state characterized by a non-racial, non-sexist, prosperous, united and democratic society.
Our responsibility is to ensure that the policies we develop brings about a radical shift in our society through ensuring a radical socio-economic transformation policy agenda. We have to deal with the legacy of apartheid which is the architect of this unequal society that we live in today characterized by a huge inequality gap, a sexist and racial economic system and a high unemployment rate. In this province, the unemployment rate is a high of 43% meaning that for almost every 2 people in the Eastern Cape, at least one is unemployed.
The Department of Small Business Development has been tasked with a huge responsibility of delivering 9 million of the 11 million jobs targeted by NDP by 2030. This has to be done through empowering small business so that they employ 9 million people by 2030.
Deputy President, your presence here is very important as the NIBUS strategy is developed ‘aligned to the vision and priorities of the National Development Plan (NDP) and responds to Outcome 4 of decent employment through inclusive growth, IPAP through the promotion of local manufacturing and one of the key pillars of the New Growth Path (NGP), which seeks to raise employment and alleviate poverty’.
Therefore, it is important that we use your address as a policy guiding tool in line with the National Development Plan (NDP) and the Economic Reconstruction and Recovery Plan.
We are tasked in this gathering with a responsibility to develop a policy base that responds to the high Cooperatives mortality rate in this country and build an autonomous cooperative movement which will directly respond to the challenges of food security, innovation, unemployment and inequality.
With that said, it is my honour to thank you on behalf of our department and on behalf of this gathering for your great address and policy input.
Enkosi. Siyabonga. Thank you
