Minister in the Presidency Mondli Gungubele says in the coming week, government will table a communications and stakeholder engagement plan, to engage society on government’s new social compact.
The Minister said this when he participated in a debate on the State of the Nation Address at the Cape Town City Hall, on Monday.
“As part of our commitment to taking the people of South Africa along in our journey to reconstruction and recovery post the COVID-19 pandemic, we will in the next coming weeks, through the Government Communication and Information System (GCIS), table a communications and stakeholder engagement plan, to engage society broadly through Izimbizo on the new social compact beyond the confines of organised formations.”
On Thursday, President Cyril Ramaphosa said government’s social partners – government, labour, business and communities – are working to determine the actions that would be taken collectively to build such a consensus.
He said discussions on what trade-offs are needed and what contribution each of the social partners would take had begun.
Government, he said, had given itself 100 days to finalise a comprehensive social compact to grow the economy, create jobs and combat hunger.
On Monday, Gungubele said government wants all South Africans to have a voice in the direction the country must take.
“In fostering this new consensus, we seek the involvement of compatriots whose interests is a shared prosperity of the people of South Africa from all sectors of society.
“On 25 January 2022, President Ramaphosa inducted the third National Planning Commission (NPC), which is an independent think-tank that provides advice to government.
“This body will lead the development of a strategy for post-COVID-19 social and economic recovery; assist in establishing social compacts with various stakeholders and support the realisation of the objectives of the NDP Vision 2030,” he said.
Presidency’s plan to revamp SA’s security services
Gungubele said, meanwhile, that as part of a commitment to revamp the country’s security services, government is in the process of putting together a plan which will – through the National Security Cluster Secretariat (NSC) – be concluded and tabled before the NSC for adoption.
“As per your speech, we are already filling a series of vacancies within the State Security Agency, the NPA Investigating Directorate and Crime Intelligence among others, to ensure that the state is adequately capacitated to respond to attempts to derail our democratic gains.”
Source: South African Government News Agency