President Cyril Ramaphosa: Picture: The Presidency
President Cyril Ramaphosa for pushing for a stakeholder inclusive partnership model he described as the key pillar of economic growth and progress.
In his weekly column, Ramaphosa said the government of national unity (GNU) placed partnership at the centre of its work.
“As this administration took office last year, we made a commitment to reach out across society, to find solutions to the challenges our country faces.
“While South Africa has a rich history of dialogue and cooperation, our experience of the Covid pandemic underlined how important collaboration was in saving lives and livelihoods.
“It showed the value of effective coordination across the state and with other sectors of society,” said Ramaphosa.
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Citing the workings of Operation Vulindlela, the President’s Coordinating Council, Presidential eThekwini Working Group, National Electricity Crisis Committee, Aids Council and the Human Resource Development Council, Ramaphosa said a partnership, which included government, business and organs of civil society, had proven to be effective.
“One of the areas where partnerships within the state have had the greatest impact is in Operation Vulindlela,” he said.
“This initiative has brought together government departments and public institutions, to undertake focused reforms in areas such as energy, logistics, telecommunications and water infrastructure.
“We also have structures like the President’s Coordinating Council, bringing together leaders from national, provincial and local governments, to deal collectively with common challenges.
“In other areas, we have brought the different spheres of government together with other stakeholders.
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“Last year, we established the Presidential eThekwini Working Group to support the metro in its efforts to restore business confidence and overcome service delivery challenges.
“Together, the working group has made progress on water supply, tourism, infrastructure and law enforcement,” he wrote.
He said the value of partnership had been seen “in our response to the electricity crisis”.
“Progress we have made in reducing the severity of load shedding has been made possible by bringing together government departments, state-owned companies, business, labour and other social partners.
“The National Electricity Crisis Committee has played a crucial role in coordinating and focusing efforts of these many players.
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“Another area that is benefiting from such partnerships is rail and port operations.
“These are beginning to stabilise and recover lost volumes as a result of efforts to support Transnet’s operational recovery.
“Though our respective roles and mandates may differ, we are aligned on the need to drive inclusive economic growth and job creation.”
Reflecting on this week’s World Economic Forum meeting in Davos, Switzerland, Ramaphosa said the SA delegation would be “outlining South Africa’s priorities for its G20 presidency”.
“At the centre of our G20 agenda is the promotion of cooperation among G20 and other countries on the most pressing issues facing the world.
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“This cooperation should not only take place at a government-to-government level. It should involve all social formations.
“One of the messages we will be taking to Davos is our ongoing commitment to partnerships in pursuit of inclusive growth and sustainable development,” he said.
Professor Raymond Parsons of North-West University School of Business and Governance, who also serves as a special policy advisor to Business Unity SA, said it was important for Ramaphosa to reaffirm the importance of “a wide collaborative effort in tackling SA’s urgent socioeconomic challenges.
“The top priority of the GNU has been much higher inclusive job-rich growth, which needs constructive participation by key stakeholders.
“With the advent of the GNU, it has become even more essential to ensure that the various existing key structures promote greater coherence and consistency in the implementation of policy, especially economic policy.
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“The more policy and project processes generate positive outcomes, the better it will be for investor confidence and SA’s future growth prospects,” said Parsons.
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