New pres sticking to policies
2008-09-25 17:20
Johannesburg - Newly elected South African President
Kgalema Motlanthe said on Thursday that in a turbulent global economy, "we will remain true to the policies that have kept South Africa steady, and that have ensured sustained growth."
"We will intensify the all-round effort to accelerate the rate of growth and job creation, and ensure that the benefits of growth are equally shared by all our people," he added in his acceptance speech, currently being delivered.
He recorded his sincere thanks and appreciation to outgoing President Thabo Mbeki, in whose Cabinet he "had the honour to serve these last few months."
He said that in 2004, the people of this country gave a clear and unequivocal mandate to this government to forge a people's contract to create work and fight poverty. It placed on this government the responsibility to use all means at its disposal to ensure that by 2014 we would be able to reduce
poverty and unemployment by half.
"When its term ends next year, this government will be able to report to the people that indeed it has done as it was mandated. It will be able to report on an economy that has sustained a pace of growth unprecedented in recent South
African history, that has created jobs at an accelerated pace, and that has enabled government to dedicate greater resources to meeting the basic needs of our people," he said.
"It will be able to report on significant progress in pushing back the frontiers of poverty. This government will be able to report on tangible advances in the provision of housing, electricity, water, sanitation and other basic services to millions of our people. And it will be able to report on major improvements in the access of poor South Africans to health care, education and social security."
Motlanthe said that it is as important as ever that "we retain our faith in the resilience of our constitutional order and the vibrancy of our democracy."
"We remain on course to halve unemployment and poverty by 2014. We remain determined to stamp out crime, violence and abuse, whomever it affects and wherever it manifests itself. We remain committed to building safer communities and protecting the vulnerable in our society from abuse. But in doing so, we
need all our people to work with, and within, the criminal justice system so that together we stamp out crime.
"We are here to assure all those on our continent and in the world that we will continue to meet our international obligations. We will continue to play a positive role within international institutions and forums. We will continue to
provide whatever assistance we can in the pursuit of peace, security, democracy and development in Africa."
He added that South Africa was "on course to host in 2010 the best FIFA World Cup ever - an African World Cup. We fully expect to meet every commitment our nation has made to the football world."
He added that in the interest of establishing immediate stability and certainty, he has thought it important not to delay in filling whatever vacancies may have occurred in government and confirming the Cabinet.
An announcement in this regard is expected shortly.
- I-Net Bridge