‘SA sitting on an unemployment, poverty time bomb’

MINISTER in the Presidency Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma has warned that South Africa is sitting on a time bomb if it does not deal urgently with increasing levels of unemployment and poverty in the country.

Dlamini Zuma, pictured, issued the warning while addressing Unisa’s 4th annual lecture on the National Development Plan in Pretoria yesterday.

In her address, titled “The place and role of governance in the radical socio-economic transformation, inclusive growth and development”, Dlamini Zuma was adamant that the country dare not fail in addressing inequalities created by “colonialism and apartheid”.

“Unemployment rates recorded the highest figures of 27.7% in the three last quarters of 2017. Currently the unemployment rate stands at 27.2% and poverty and inequality persist,” Dlamini Zuma said.

She said the World Bank and the International Labour Organisation (ILO) had produced reports which demonstrated that in South Africa 10% of the population owned 75% of the country’s wealth. “The World Bank report, titled “Overcoming Poverty and Inequality in South Africa”, as well as the ILO Global Wage Report confirm that South Africa remains one of the most unequal societies in the world.”

She said it was widely accepted that there was a need for the economy to reflect the country’s demographics.

“We run the risk of promoting instability if this is not corrected, for… it is in the most unequal societies where instability and violent crimes thrive,” she warned.

Dlamini Zuma said radical socio-economic transformation was about changing the structure, systems, institutions and patterns of ownership, management and control of the economy in favour of the poor, the majority of whom were African and female.

She said that in the country economic inequality was perpetuated by the continued lack of access to productive land for the majority. “Without land, there cannot be a dignified existence and there can be no meaningful productivity”. She said it was for that reason that the government was exploring a mechanism to accelerate the redistribution of land.

“We must therefore fast-track land redistribution… to the benefit of our urban and rural masses. In most successful redistribution programmes, the common thread is the presence of accountable and transparent institutions,” she said.

Dlamini Zuma said the people needed land for agricultural, commercial, residential and recreational use in order to advance their own development.

“The state, therefore, has the responsibility to assist our citizens in land utilisation as well as spatial planning so as to ensure there are agri-parks as well as development zones closer to where they live and work.”

However, Dlamini Zuma acknowledged that the country was close to achieving universal access to education, saying it stood at 98% for pupils aged 7 to 15 at local schools. According to her, 95% of households have access to electricity.

She said the country had reduced infant and maternal mortality rates ,and life expectancy had increased.