Economic transformation on ANC agenda?
The chairperson of the ANC NEC Subcommittee on Economic Transformation, Enoch Godongwana, says that the party acknowledges that inclusive growth will be made possible by changing the structure of the economy.
He was speaking at the ANC NEC subcommittee on economic transformation on the discussion document towards the 4th national policy conference.
This topic was high on the agenda of the workshop which, among other things, focused on reducing unemployment and youth unemployment, returning land to the people and supporting land reform, increasing black ownership and control of the economy and activating small businesses and co-operatives.
Enoch says that inclusive growth cannot occur if those who are excluded are not given fair access to economic opportunities.
“It will also not occur if the productive base of the South African economy does not expand across sectors and space,” he says.
Enoch says that the package of policy interventions must be capable of achieving the following objectives:
“It must reduce unemployment and youth unemployment.
“Unemployment must be alleviated by increasing youth access to vocational training and apprenticeship programmes.
“We need a well-designed system of vocational training and apprenticeships, in combination with public service youth brigades.
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“This will save many young people from unemployment and better prepare them with skills needed in the workplace, including entrepreneurial and small business skills.
“Working together, business, government and labour must create up to one million internships in order to bring more young people into the labour market,” he says.
He says that the ANC policy commits government to returning land to our people.
“The Constitution’s commitment to ‘just and equitable’ compensation for the acquisition of land for land reform should be organised and should replace market-based valuations of land.
“The process must be facilitated and accelerated by the passing of updated expropriation legislation by Parliament,” he says.
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He says that it is important to increase black ownership and control in the economy.
“Priority must be given to ensuring black ownership in emerging new sectors of the economy.
“This includes the potential for the development of new gas sector as a large-scale energy source in the country,” he says.
