South African Government (Pretoria)
Jacob Zuma
3 June 2009
(Page 3 of 4)
We must work together to improve the implementation of the Comprehensive Plan for the Treatment, Management and Care of HIV and AIDS so as to reduce the rate of new HIV infections by 50% by the year 2011. We want to reach 80% of those in need of ARV treatment also by 2011.
We will introduce a National Health Insurance scheme in a phased and incremental manner. In order to initiate the NHI, the urgent rehabilitation of public hospitals will be undertaken through Public-Private Partnerships.
We are also paying urgent attention to the issues of remuneration of health professionals to remove uncertainty in our health services.
Working together let us do more to promote quality health care, in line with the United Nations Millennium Development Goals to halve poverty by 2014.
Fellow citizens,
Together we must do more to fight crime. Our aim is to establish a transformed, integrated, modernised, properly-resourced and well-managed criminal justice system. It is also critically important to improve the efficiency of the courts and the performance of prosecutors and to enhance detective, forensic and intelligence services. This work has started in earnest, and it will be undertaken with new energy and vigour. Among the immediate targets is to ensure that we increase the number of prosecutors and Legal Aid Board personnel.
We will do the same with police detectives. We changed the name of the relevant Ministry from Safety and Security to Police to emphasize that we want real operational energy in police work. This will contribute to the reduction of serious and violent crimes by the set target of 7% to 10% per annum. The most serious attention will also be given to combating organised crime, as well as crimes against women and children.
Honourable Speaker and Chairperson,
While appreciating the investment of the private sector in the security industry, we will improve the regulation of this industry. Amongst other key initiatives, we will start the process of setting up a Border Management Agency; we shall intensify our efforts against cyber crime and identity theft, and improve systems in our jails to reduce repeat offending.
Compatriots,
I wish to underline our support for the continued transformation of the judiciary. The transformation should address key issues such as the enhancement of judicial independence, entrenching internal systems of judicial accountability as well as ensuring full access to justice by all.
The success of the democratic system as a whole depends on good relations of mutual respect and a spirit of partnership among the Executive, the Legislature and the Judiciary. This is very important for our constitutional democracy.
Honourable Speaker and Chairperson,
We have repeatedly stated our commitment to fight corruption in the public service. We will pay particular attention to combating corruption and fraud in procurement and tender processes, application for drivers' licences, social grants, IDs, and theft of police case dockets.
Let me emphasise that we all have a role to play in this war against crime. We must actively participate in Community Policing Forums. We must stop buying stolen goods, which encourages crime. We must report crime and assist the police with information to catch wrongdoers. In this way, we will move forward towards a crime-free society.
Honourable Members, since 1994 we have sought to create a united cohesive society out of our fragmented past. We are called upon to continue this mission of promoting unity in diversity and to develop a shared value system, based on the spirit of community solidarity and a caring society.
Our shared value system should encourage us to become active citizens in the renewal of our country. We must build a common national identity and patriotism.
We must develop a common attachment to our country, our Constitution and the national symbols. In this spirit, we will promote the National Anthem and our country's flag and all other national symbols. Our children, from an early age, must be taught to pay allegiance to the Constitution and the national symbols, and know what it means to be South African citizens.
We will ensure a common national approach to the changing of geographic and place names. This must provide an opportunity to involve all South Africans in forging an inclusive national identity, to deepen our understanding of our history and heritage.
Sport is a powerful nation-building tool. Working together we must support all our national teams from Bafana Bafana to the Proteas and the Springboks; from Banyana Banyana to Paralympians. Our teams can only do well with our support. Allow me to use this opportunity to congratulate our national teams for their performances in the past week, indeed in pulling off a hat-trick.
The country's women's netball team has done us proud by winning the Tri-Nations Netball Challenge. Congratulations to the Sevens Springboks who have become the IRB Sevens World Series Champions - and not forgetting the Blue Bulls who have won the Super 14 finals in a convincing fashion! We take this opportunity to wish the Springboks well in the upcoming series against the British and Irish Lions.
It is clear that we need to invest on a large scale in sports development. We will speed up the revival of school sport and ensure that it forms part of the school curriculum. In addition we will ensure that the provision of sport facilities in poorer communities receives priority.
Hon. Speaker and Chairperson,
We have committed ourselves over the years to contribute to building a better Africa and a better world. The main goal of government for the medium term is to ensure that our foreign relations contribute to the creation of an environment conducive to sustainable economic growth and development.
To this effect, we will continue to prioritise the African continent by strengthening the African Union and its structures, and give special focus to the implementation of the New Partnership for Africa's Development.
Equally important, and closer to home, is the strengthening of regional integration with particular emphasis on improving the political and economic integration of SADC, towards the AU goal of a Union government.
We will establish a South African Development Partnership Agency to promote developmental partnerships with other countries on the continent.
South Africa will continue to assist in the reconstruction and development of the African continent especially in post-conflict situations. We will continue to encourage a peaceful and sustainable settlement to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict based on the two- state solution.
We will support the peace efforts of the African Union and the United Nations on the African continent, including in the Saharawi Arab Republic and Darfur in Sudan. As the Chairperson of SADC and Facilitator, we will participate in promoting inclusive government until free and fair elections are held in Zimbabwe.
The plight of the Zimbabwean people has had a negative impact on the SADC region, especially South Africa. We call upon all peace-loving countries in the world to support the inclusive government to achieve economic recovery. We will support efforts of the SADC region to resolve the situation in Madagascar.
Allow me, distinguished guests, to pay tribute to the SA National Defence Force for their sterling role in peace building in the continent.
Through continental and regional bodies, we will work towards the entrenchment of democracy and the respect for human rights on the African continent.
We will contribute to the strengthening of South-South relations and pursue mutually beneficial agreements with key countries of the South.
We will continue to enhance relations with the developed North including the G8, and our strategic partnership with the European Union. We will continue to play an active role in ensuring the conclusion of the WTO Doha Development round of negotiations.
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WE will not discredit or discourage the hope that President Zuma has. However, President Zuma needs to know that it is not a good for him to make promises that he cannot keep. I said the word PROMISE. Attempting to create half a million jobs is one thing, but to say you promise is another. If he does not create half a million jobs, then he has showed his citizens that he is a lier. Because he said he Promised.
I do hope that Mr President will fulfil his promises of saying that half million jobs wll be created for South African over the next few six months to come.The motive behind of this is that since he has been in the politics with the leaders over the past years may be he discovered that gap even though he didnt had power by then, so now is the chance for him to prove to the nation.From MR Pain @ UZ
If Zuma and Mbeki had spent all those billions on local arms procurement and not overseas, he might have created that number of jobs. It was just self enrichment that made them virtually close down our local arms industry which South Africa will rue for the next generation.
Angaas, under President Mbeki South African economy prospered and jobs were created. There was more credibility of South Africa international, under Mbeki. Under Apartheid a few prospered, at the expense of the majority. Your comments just remind us just how bitter white minorities have become and largely cynical.
Nancy Dubosse's article about Zuma is typical of articles coming out of the so called institute of democracy for Africa in Cape Town. The students and articles they produce tends to have a neo-colonial bias about all things Africa. A lots of preaching about what is wrong with Africa as oppossed to what is going on now.
Zuma lost the Cape, which is very white/colored and tends to disagree with the black majority. Rather than call Zuma wishingful thinking, why not hold him accountable for his words. Africans need to be sceptical about articles from this neo-colonial institution. Cape Town is so different from the rest of Africa, one wonders what right Captonians have of lecturing Africa!
A lot of white/Black conflicts in Capetowm. And probably vey snobbish and out of date anglo's who are a major problem in Southern Africa. The articles from this institute bother me and they are a red flag of neo-colonial and aparthied mentality!!!!
I see this as a challenge to every South African to ensure that this happens. As for me, I can't sit outside and watch if the president achieves this. It is also my duty within my small business to ensure that I contribute towards this 500,000. It's a challenge I am already embracing. If we fail, then at least I would know that I contributed to whatever number would be achieved. Let's stop being cynical and start building this country - we are all responsible - not just the government.
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Active Discussions: All Eyes on President Zuma