Newly sworn-in President Cyril Ramaphosa on Friday committed the government he now leads to ethical behaviour and leadership.
President Ramaphosa has emphasised the fight against corruption in his first State of the Nation address.
In a SONA on Friday night that earned a standing ovation from all parties, Ramaphosa said the NPA would be enabled to deal with all those guilty of corruption, and that the inquiry into state capture would go ahead. No board member of a parastatal will be allowed to be involved in procurement.
In a wide-ranging speech, Ramaphosa stressed the need for economic growth. He says a Presidential Economic Advisory Council will be created. Ramaphosa gave his vision of ‘radical economic transformation’.
“Radical economic transformation requires that we fundamentally improve the position of black women and communities in the economy, ensuring that they are owners, managers, producers and financiers. Our most grave and most pressing challenge is youth unemployment. It is therefore a matter of great urgency that we draw young people in far greater numbers into productive economic activity. Young South Africans will be moved to the centre of our economic agenda.”
Ramaphosa spoke of change and renewal after years of criticism against his predecessor Jacob Zuma who resigned under pressure this week.
Zuma’s presidency was dogged by controversy and allegations of state capture and criminal behaviour.
In what many interpret as criticism of the Zuma era, Ramaphosa said South Africans should put all the negativity “behind us”. “We should put behind us the era of diminishing trust in public institutions and weakened confidence in leaders,” he said.
President Ramaphosa also set out the way forward for land redistribution.
“We will accelerate our land redistribution programme not only to redress a grave historical injustice, but also to bring more producers into the agricultural sector and to make more land available for cultivation.”
“We will pursue a comprehensive approach that makes effective use of all the mechanisms at our disposal.”
Guided by the resolutions of the 54th National Conference of the governing party, this approach will include the expropriation of land without compensation.
“We are determined that expropriation without compensation should be implemented in a way that increases agricultural production, improves food security.”
Additional copy by ANA
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