As the year 2015 draws to a close, let me take this opportunity to thank all citizens for their contribution in various ways to making South Africa a better place.
Each passing year, our country moves forward, towards a better life for all, against many odds.
We worked harder again this year.
Millions of children of the poor and the working class receive free basic education and nutrition in schools and more schools were built to improve the learning environment.
More students from poor households received funding for higher education in 2015, and this matter will receive further attention in the New Year.
More elderly people and the poor receive free medical care in government health facilities. South Africans are living longer due to improving health care.
The life expectancy is now 62 years of age, which is an increase of eight percent since 2005.
More people receive social grants to enable them to put food on the table, especially orphans and vulnerable children, the elderly and persons with disability.
Progress has been made in various other aspects, including our participation in the international arena.
However, more hard work awaits us all in 2016 as challenges still remain.
Our goal is to build a South Africa where economic opportunities increase for all and not just a few, and where inequality, poverty and unemployment become a thing of the past.
In this regard, the pursuit of economic transformation will continue.
We have to work further in 2016 to achieve broader and more meaningful black economic empowerment and participation in the economy. This will ensure long-term economic development as well as unity, healing and reconciliation in our country.
In the short-term, for many of our people, including our unemployed graduates and all young people, success in 2016 will mean finding jobs.
We will continue to focus on the areas we had mentioned in the 2015 State of the Nation Address, in what we called the Nine Point Plan to ignite economic growth and create jobs.
We will need labour and business to work with government closely, as we create the enabling environment for inclusive growth and job creation.
We will further explore opportunities in agriculture, mining, small business development, energy, growing the country’s ocean economy, transport, water and sanitation and telecommunications.
We will also work further to improve the functioning, performance and governance of state owned companies.
We will continue stabilising the labour market, and to pursue agreement on the national minimum wage.
Information on all these matters will be provided further in the 2016 state of the nation address. We will also consolidate the gains of democracy in 2016, by taking local government transformation and performance forward, through the Back to Basics campaign.
In this regard, we should all register to vote in the coming local government elections and use our hard-won right to vote.
Importantly, we should remember that we all share the responsibility of building our country.
There is a lot that is good and great about South Africa and its people.
Let us highlight our achievements more in 2016, and then work together to fix what still needs attention.
I wish all citizens a Happy and successful New Year!
Remember to drive safely on the way back home from the holidays and to cooperate with law enforcement officers on the roads!
We also wish all tourists and visitors to our beautiful country a wonderful stay in South Africa and a happy 2016!
I thank you.
Enquiries:
Bongani Majola
Cell: 082 339 1993
E-mail: bonganim@presidency.gov.za
