Minister in the Presidency and Chairperson of the National Planning Committee, Jackson Mthembu says the committee’s review of the National Development Plan (NDP) does not mean the it has failed.
Mthembu and the NDP commissioners met with President Cyril Ramaphosa at his official residence in Pretoria on Tuesday.
The review will be completed in October when it will be presented to the president.
The National Planning Commission is briefing the President on progress made and challenges encountered since the commencement of this collective’s term in 2015. #NPC #GrowSouthAfrica pic.twitter.com/4ao0tSp0CO
— PresidencyZA (@PresidencyZA) August 6, 2019
Mthembu says the commissioners have already started consulting with experts to determine how far the country is with the implementation of the ND, which was adopted in 2012.
“Any smart person will review the NDP we adopted 7/8 years ago … Things have changed drastically in the country. Levels of unemployment have changed drastically; also levels of the economy changed drastically. Taking all those into account are the targets that we set 7 years ago still relevant,” says Mthembu.
Deputy Chairperson of the National Planning Committee, Professor Malegapuru Makgoba says the review of the National Development Plan will focus on the priorities President Cyril Ramaphosa highlighted in his State of the National Address.
He says the economy will also be a focus point. About 50 new indicators that measure the implementation of the NDP have been added.
“The president in his SONA articulated seven priorities. We have taken those priorities and looked at the NDP and looked at the biometrics that will allow the president, from now on, to be able to measure his priorities in relation to the SONA priorities that he articulated. And we are providing those with clear indicators that are measurable, so he can hold himself and the country accountable.”
