South Africa's strategic priorities

In his State of the Nation address, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa highlighted the tasks of the Government of National Unity (GNU) to implement the country's development plan for the next five years.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa speaks in Athlone on May 1, 2024.

To realise the set goals, Ramaphosa called for joint efforts to address the challenges facing South Africa and meet the aspirations of the people.

The aspirations of the South African people are reflected through the votes in the general election taking place in May 2024. As no party won the required number of votes, the GNU was formed based on a coalition of 10 parties, including the African National Congress (ANC) led by Ramaphosa.

The participation of many parties in the coalition government gives the majority in the National Assembly, but it also easily causes disagreement. However, the parties in the GNU are considered to have put aside their differences and agreed to cooperate for the benefit of the people of South Africa.

Delivering the first national address after the GNU was established, President Ramaphosa emphasised that the medium-term development plan has been approved with clear and ambitious missions.

Ramaphosa stated that the GNU's strategic priorities for the next five years are to promote inclusive growth and create jobs, reduce poverty, address the high cost of living, and improve the capacity of the government apparatus.

According to the head of the GNU, the most urgent task is to develop the economy, thereby creating jobs, reducing poverty and improving people’s lives. This is not difficult to see because the average growth of the South African economy in the next three years is forecast to reach only 1.6%, while unemployment and income inequality are both high.

To overcome the above obstacles, GNU aims to increase economic growth to more than 3%. Accordingly, South Africa will focus on investing in infrastructure. Over the next three years, the GNU plans to spend about 50 billion USD to renovate roads and bridges, build dams and waterways, and modernise ports and airports.

To unleash growth potential, the South African Government has also initiated a new wave of reforms, focusing on several important areas, such as energy, mining, and tourism.

In the immediate future, the GNU will support state-owned enterprises to play an important role in the economy, including the national electricity company Eskom and the logistics group Transnet. In addition, the GNU also strives to apply technology to promote public service reform.

The task of shaping South Africa’s development path in a rapidly changing world was also highlighted in Ramaphosa’s message.

The world is witnessing the increasingly serious impacts of conflicts and violence and increasingly fierce competition in trade and technology. Meanwhile, the rise of nationalism and protectionism hinders the international community’s efforts for common goals.

In this context, Ramaphosa affirmed that South Africa will be resilient, turn difficulties into advantages and move the country forward.

South Africa's prosperity is closely linked to the continent's peace, integration and development. Understanding this, South Africa affirms that it will continue to contribute to strengthening the role of the African Union (AU) while calling for efforts to "silence the guns" in the region.

South African soldiers participating in the peacekeeping mission in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, including those who have fallen, demonstrate South Africa's commitment to resolving the persistent conflict in the region.

According to Ramaphosa's message, the main pillars of South Africa's foreign policy remain the promotion of human rights, peace and friendship, as well as enhancing fair trade and investment cooperation.

These are also the guiding principles that South Africa has put forward in its role as the Presidency of the Group of 20 leading emerging and developed economies. This responsibility is a lever to help enhance South Africa's position in the international arena.

The fact that the G20 summit is being held in Africa for the first time since the AU joined the group is an opportunity to put the essential needs of countries on the continent, and more broadly in the global south, on the world agenda.

NDO