President Cyril Ramaphosa has extended his appreciation and gratitude to Deputy President David Mabuza who has indicated his wish to step down from his position.

Replying to the State of the Nation Address Debate on Thursday, President Ramaphosa said that he is attending to the Deputy President’s request.

“I wish to extend my appreciation to Deputy President David Mabuza for his unwavering support over the last five years. Deputy President Mabuza has indicated his wish to step down from his position, a request that we are attending to."

The President lauded Mabuza for ably leading the South African National AIDS Council and extensive engagements with military veterans and traditional leaders.

He highlighted that the Deputy President has supported peace building efforts in South Sudan and led processes around land reform, among other things.

President Ramaphosa further extended his appreciation to all Ministers and Deputy Ministers, Premiers, Directors-General, Advisers and Presidency staff for their hard work and support.

Mabuza has been South Africa’s Deputy President since February 2018.

National Health Insurance (NHI)

Meanwhile, during his reply to the SONA debate, President Ramaphosa reaffirmed government’s commitment to the provision of quality health care for all, regardless of their ability to pay.

“We will therefore progressively implement the National Health Insurance as soon as the necessary legislation is approved by Parliament. In the meantime, we are preparing for its implementation through the national quality improvement plan and putting in place the necessary staff and funding,” the President said.

The President said government is improving the quality of care in clinics through the Ideal Clinic programme.

Using the capabilities of the electronic vaccination record system developed for COVID-19, he said the Department of Health will introduce an Electronic Health Record solution to improve management of health records.

As the country and the world recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic, government is strengthening the fight against the HIV pandemic.

“While we have made remarkable progress in fighting HIV, as well as TB, new infections are still occurring at unacceptable rates and we continue to record deaths that could have been prevented.

“We are also working to combat non-communicable diseases like diabetes, hypertension and cancer,” he said.

The President emphasised that government is paying greater attention to mental health. According to the World Health Organisation, around one in five South Africans suffer from mental health disorders.

“Our starting point must be to raise awareness and combat stigma around mental health, so that people are able to seek and receive mental health services. Beyond that, we need to dedicate more resources and qualified professionals to the provision of such services,” he said.

Infrastructure

Responding to the poor state of much of the country’s infrastructure, President Ramaphosa emphasised that building beyond the crisis also means rebuilding the country's infrastructure.

He highlighted that investment in the construction and maintenance of infrastructure has been declining over many years. Since taking office, he said the sixth administration have taken important steps to reverse that trend.

“Through Infrastructure South Africa, we have focused on building the capacity within the state to design, prepare and implement infrastructure projects. Through the Infrastructure Fund, we have sought new approaches to funding infrastructure drawing on a diversity of sources.

“We are also undertaking structural reforms in energy, water, ports and railways that will enable greater investment in these vital industries. We have significantly increased the budget allocated to infrastructure across government and, as I indicated in SONA, significant road, water, housing and other projects are underway,” the President said.

To succeed in all these efforts, the President said there is a need to ensure that the state has the necessary resources, capacity and skills.

“We are taking steps to professionalise the public service across all spheres, to ensure the right people are in the right positions, that they are held accountable, and that they are empowered to provide the best possible service to the people,’ he said.

Further to this, the President has directed all infrastructure and service departments to conduct skills audits within nine months.

“These audits must not just tell us what training officials think they require, but must help us understand where critical skills do exist in these departments to effectively deliver infrastructure and services.

“The National School of Government will work with other organs of state like the Human Sciences Research Council to conduct these audits,” he said.

Climate Change

Building beyond the crisis means addressing the fundamental threat of climate change and strengthening the country’s resilience to future disasters, says President Ramaphosa.

The President reiterated that the ambitious carbon emission targets that have been set are essential to the future well-being and prosperity of the South African people.

“Unless we act now, alongside the other countries of the world, our country will experience ever more frequent and ever more severe weather conditions.

“More lives will be lost, more people will be displaced, living conditions will worsen,” the President said.

Through the work of the Presidential Climate Commission, the Presidential Climate Finance Task Team led by Daniel Mminele, government departments and stakeholders, a clear, just and inclusive path towards a low-carbon economy and society has been developed.

“As we work to reduce emissions, we must undertake adaptation measures to counter the effects of climate change and design our cities, towns and rural areas to be more resilient in the face of adverse weather events.

“We will be reviewing our disaster management architecture to make sure that it is adequately equipped to respond to floods and other natural disasters going forward,” the President said.

Government’s priorities

President Ramaphosa has emphasized that government’s priorities in 2023 are to decisively resolve the electricity crisis, reduce unemployment and root out corruption and crime.

As government works to resolve many of the challenges facing the country, President Ramaphosa has pleaded with South Africans for support.

“It is the job of government to deliver basic services, to protect its citizens from harm, and to create the conditions in which every person can thrive.

“That is why, as we work to implement the actions that will restore our country’s promise, I am not asking for your patience.

“I am asking for you to support our people as they work with us to address all these challenges. Let us never forget that whatever our challenges, whatever our difference, we all seek the same future for our country. Let us stand together to build that future,” he said.

Source: South African Government News Agency