South African President Cyril Ramaphosa opened parliament on Thursday since the ruling ANC lost its first majority in the country, pledging his new coalition government to focus on growth, job creation and poverty reduction.
South African president prioritises growth, jobs as parliament opens
Addressing a joint sitting of Parliament after a spectacular opening ceremony that included military pomp, the 71-year-old Ramaphosa said his government’s goals also included tackling rising living costs and cutting red tape.
“We are committed to improving the well-being of our country and its people through inclusive growth, job creation and poverty reduction,” the president told lawmakers in Cape Town.
President Ramaphosa’s long-ruled African National Congress party lost its absolute majority in parliament for the first time since democracy in 1994, forcing it to form an uneasy coalition government with nine other parties after general elections in May.
Battered by corruption scandals and a poor economic record, the party that led the fight against apartheid received just 40 percent of the vote.
The results reflect growing disillusionment with a record 33% unemployment rate, high poverty and crime rates.
The ANC has aligned itself with the centre-right in an unprecedented power-sharing deal, a move some analysts said would reassure investors.
In his speech, President Ramaphosa promised business-friendly reforms, including overhauling the corrupt civil service and a “massive increase” in investment in infrastructure.
But the former trade unionist added that growth must be “inclusive” and “support the empowerment of black South Africans, women and all those who have been historically marginalised in our economy”.
The president also promised to increase funding for reforms to transfer state land to local communities, tackling one of South Africa’s most sensitive issues.
Access to land is one of the top priorities for vocal opponents of President Ramaphosa’s coalition, led by the left-wing Umkhonto we’Sizwe party and the Economic Freedom Fighters party, which are demanding the expropriation of land owned by white South Africans.
MK and the EFF joined forces with three other smaller groups to form the Anti-Capitalist Alliance, which holds 102 seats in the 400-seat parliament.
Opposition coalition leaders told reporters on Thursday they would also push ahead with nationalizing state banks and mines.
Impeached Justice John Hlophe, Leader of the Opposition in Parliament and a Member of Parliament, accused the ruling coalition of seeking to “maintain the current power of white monopoly capital in the economy and favour white privilege”.
The ANC retained 20 ministerial posts in the new government, including key ministries such as foreign affairs, finance, defence, justice and police.
Its largest coalition partner, the pro-market Democratic Alliance, a longtime critic, is responsible for six sectors including agriculture, public works and communications.
The other six ministries were spread among the Zulu nationalist Inkatha Freedom Party, the anti-immigrant Patriotic Union, the right-wing Afrikaans-language party Freedom Front Plus, and other smaller parties.
The cabinet met for the first time over the weekend in a cordial atmosphere, but observers say problems may lie ahead, both from within and outside the new coalition.
“There seems to have been a momentum of goodwill building in the weeks since the national unity government was formed,” analyst Daniel Silke told AFP.
“The question is, is this momentum sustainable?”
There are many disagreements between the coalition partners on issues ranging from foreign policy to national health reform, which is key to the left-leaning ANC but anathema to the DA.
But Democratic Alliance leader John Steenhausen was optimistic about Ramaphosa’s speech.
“This is a summary of what we want to see to save our country,” he told SABC television. “Economic growth is the rising tide that floats all boats.”
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