Faster government delivery and an increase in job creation- Zuma urges

By Ofentse Mokae
12 February 2010

Zuma labeled faster government service delivery and the need to improve growth and job creation.

Delivering his second and much anticipated Sate of the Nation address Zuma said last year, the country experienced the first recession in 17 years.

He mentioned how this had an effect on the employment rate of the nation.

“The crisis cost our economy about 900 000 jobs. Many of those who lost their jobs were the breadwinners in poor families,” Zuma said.

He said last February different sectors in the economy such as, government, business, labour and community representatives agreed on a package of measures to reduce the scale and impact of the crisis.

“We have put many of these measures in place. We have implemented decisive anti-recession spending by government, especially on infrastructure,” Zuma added.

For the social welfare of the country the address highlighted the safety cushion for the poor, where an extension of social grants will be made allowing children over the ages of 14 years of age to benefit from the grant.

“In the next three years, an additional two million children from poor households, aged 15 to 18 years, will benefit from the child support grant,” the president said.

Zuma's speech which was moved to coincide with the 20th anniversary of the release of Mandela said that 2010 will be a year of action.

He said government planned to build labour absorbing industries and promised to keep in place economic rescue measures implemented last year, because the pace of South Africa's economic recovery from the country's recession was an unknown factor.

"Economic activity is rising in South Africa, and we expect growth going forward. It is too soon, though, to be certain of the pace of recovery," Zuma said.