Zuma: SA's chance to go green

2008-01-31 19:21

Johannesburg - ANC President Jacob Zuma sought to reassure investors on Thursday, saying the power crisis was South Africa's chance to become a leader in clean energy.

"It would certainly be an excellent outcome if South Africa emerges at the forefront of the world's response to the global climate challenges," he told asset managers and representatives of the Australian-based Macquarie Group in Johannesburg.

He said the ANC recognised that climate change was a "new threat" that would affect the poor in particular.

"So perhaps this energy crisis is an ideal opportunity for South Africa to become a world leader in developing innovative solutions to energy management."

He acknowledged that it was clearly a failure of planning in the late 1990s and said the reasons for it would be addressed later.

He noted the government's response plan and called the crisis a positive turning point for South Africa's long-term electricity use.

Outlining the progress the country had made in the past 13 years, he turned his attention to crime, unemployment, poor public transport and education.

Solutions for unemployment

He said the party did not foresee any problems in implementing its plans, outlined in the January 8 statement, for dealing with these matters.

Crime, he said, was simply unacceptable and a law and order solution was not enough, requiring investment in social crime prevention.

His proposed solutions for unemployment included the state helping young people get their first formal sector jobs.

This, however, had to take place alongside measures to create good economic growth.

Not counting millions of discouraged job seekers, the unemployment rate was 25%, he said.

Local firms could not keep pace with the country's faster-than-expected rate of economic growth, leading to a rise in imports.

He called for more investment and for the private sector to become more productive.

Part of efforts to break down apartheid era planning included a transport infrastructure rollout, which was part of plans for the 2010 Soccer World Cup.

He said the country could not continue producing sub-standard maths and science results at schools.

The January 8 statement had included proposals for promoting teachers and higher pay.

Efficient public service

In return they had to "be in school, in class, on time, teaching, no abuse of learners and no neglect of duty".

There was also a need, said Zuma, for an efficient public service.

"The ANC has called for the creation of an institutional centre for government-wide economic planning and uniform and high entrance requirements for the recruitment of public servants."

He said the electricity crisis had made the need for effective planning in government even clearer.

- SAPA