Economic, Investment and Employment Cluster briefing

Q A journalist from IT web requested more detail on the Set-Top Boxes that will be manufactured as part of the broadcasting infrastructure by Sentech.

A The Director-General of Trade and Industry responded that planning for the manufacturing of the ‘Set-Top Boxes’ had commenced and involved the Department of Communications, as well as the local electronic industry. That department had still to finalise the specification of the ‘Set-Top Boxes’ to enable the Department of Trade and Industry to galvanise the industry which was ready to manufacture once given the specifications.

Q Comment was requested on the Competition Commission addressing collusion and price fixing in the car manufacturing, pharmaceutical, bread and milk production industries, yet prices never seemed to come down.

A The Director-General replied that the lack of reduction in price levels when price fixing and collusion had been identified was a serious concern for the government. It was however difficult to predict how soon after a judgement, changes (such as a slower increase in prices) would be noticed. What was rather more important were the amendments that were proposed and the implementation of the competition law to curb, monitor and prevent such behaviour in the future.

Q A journalist referred to coordination and cooperation between departments. In what areas or departments had there been an identification of failures or problems related to the lack of coordination and cooperation?

A The Minister replied that there was a more concerted effort by the public sector to ensure that they were more circumspect about spending to ensure maximum benefits from the funds invested in infrastructure. There had been early identification that there was a need for integrated planning for funding infrastructure development to ensure that all relevant stakeholders were involved and that no problems, such as exclusion of relevant parties, hamper the projects.

Q A journalist asked if the achievements in economic growth through infrastructure development, ASGI-SA, APEX, and coordinating synergies would not be constrained by the shortage of electricity and skills which would take time to be resolved? Will these shortages impact on the 6% economic growth achieved in the current government’s tenure?

A The Minister replied that a momentum had been created in the areas that have been pivotal to the 5% economic growth achieved. Such areas, according to research, include high consumer demand which reflected structural changes in the economy. These structural changes include increased participation in the economy which in turn had led to this high consumer demand. In addition, the economic growth appears to have taken a qualitative shift and presently includes higher levels of investment. For a long period the economic growth had been constrained by low levels of fixed capital formation, which appeared to have been resolved. When the current government began its tenure the level of investment was at 15% which had seen a 6% increase and currently stood at more than 20% with a target of 25%. This was the legacy that would be left when a new government began its tenure. The current government had also managed to identify the skills shortage during its tenure and had implemented several projects, such as ASGI-SA and investments in FET, that were addressing this and other problems. With regards to energy, work was already underway to address the energy shortages through improving the energy generating capacity and expanding the energy reserves.

Q What were the ten goods that were going to be provided to government by small enterprises?

A The Minister replied that the areas had been identified through research into what government bought. Some of these areas were in the building and construction industry: interior and exterior décor work and maintenance work, the clothing industry: textile products, ICT: construction of network support infrastructure, travel: shuttle services, catering, vehicle repair work and in the media and communication industries.

The meeting was adjourned.

 
A Bill of Reponsibilities for the youth of South Africa

Preamble

I accept the call to responsibility that comes with the many rights and freedoms that I have been privileged to inherit from the sacrifice and suffering of those who came before me.  I appreciate that the rights enshrined in the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa are inseparable from my duties and responsibilities to others. Therefore I accept that with every right comes a set of responsibilities.

This Bill outlines the responsibilities that flow from each of the rights enshrined in the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa.

My responsibility in ensuring the right to equality

The right to equality places on me the responsibility to
* treat every person equally and fairly, and
* not discriminate unfairly against anyone on the basis of race, gender, religion, national-, ethnic- or social origin, disability, culture, language, status or appearance.

South Africa is a diverse nation, and equality does not mean uniformity, or that we are all the same. Our country’s motto: !KE E: /XARRA //KE, meaning “Diverse people unite”, calls on all of us to build a common sense of belonging and national pride, celebrating the very diversity which makes us who we are. It also calls on us to extend our friendship and warmth to all nations and all the peoples of the world in our endeavour to build a better world.

My responsibility in ensuring the right to human dignity

The right to human dignity places on me the responsibility to:
* treat people with reverence, respect and dignity
* be kind, compassionate and sensitive to every human being, including greeting them warmly and speaking to them courteously.

My responsibility in ensuring the right to life

The right to life places on me the responsibility to:
*   protect and defend the lives of others
* not endanger the lives of others by carrying dangerous weapons or by acting recklessly or disobeying our rules and laws.
* live a healthy life, by exercising, eating correctly by not smoking, abusing alcohol, or taking drugs, or indulging in irresponsible behaviour that may result in my being infected or infecting others with communicable diseases such  as HIV and AIDS.

My responsibility in ensuring the right to family or parental care

This right expects me to:
* honour and respect my parents, and to help them,
*  be kind and loyal to my family, to my brothers and sisters, my grandparents and all my relatives.
* recognise that love means long-term commitment, and the responsibility to establish strong and loving families.

My responsibility in ensuring the right to education

The right to education places on me the responsibility to:
* attend school regularly, to learn, and to work hard,
* cooperate respectfully with teachers and fellow learners and
* adhere to the rules and the Code of Conduct of the school.

and concurrently places on my parents and caregivers the responsibility to:
* ensure that I attend school and receive their support

and places on my teachers the responsibility to:

* promote and reflect the culture of learning and teaching in giving effect to  this right.

My responsibility in ensuring the right to work

This right carries with it the responsibility for all learners, parents, caregivers and teachers to:
* work hard and do our best in everything we do.
*  recognise that living a good and successful life involves hard work, and that anything worthwhile only comes with effort.
* This right must never be used to expose children to child labour. (proposed alternative: prevent children being exposed to child labour).

My responsibility in ensuring the right to freedom and security of the person

The right is upheld by my taking responsibility for:
* not hurting, bullying, or intimidating others, or allowing others to do so, and
* solving any conflict in a peaceful manner.

My responsibility in ensuring the right to own property

The right to own property places on me the responsibility to:
* respect the property of others,
*  take pride in and protect both private and public property, and not to take what belongs to others.
* be honest and fair, and for those who have, to give generously to charity and good causes.

My responsibility in ensuring the right to freedom of religion, belief and opinion

The right to freedom of conscience requires me to:
* allow others to choose and practice the religion of their choice, and to hold their own beliefs and opinions, without fear or prejudice.
* respect the beliefs and opinions of others, and their right to express these, even when we may strongly disagree with these beliefs and opinions. That is what it means to be a free democracy.

My responsibility in ensuring the right to live in a safe environment

This right assumes the responsibility to:
* promote sustainable development, and the conservation and preservation of the natural environment.
* protect animal and plant-life, as well as the responsibility to prevent pollution, to not litter, and to ensure that our homes, schools, streets and other public places are kept neat and tidy.
* In the context of climate change, we are also obliged to ensure we do not waste scarce resources like water and electricity.

My responsibility in ensuring the right to citizenship

The right to citizenship expects that each of us will be good and loyal South African citizens. This means that we are responsible for:
* obeying the laws of our country,
* ensuring that others do so as well, and
* contributing in every possible way to making South Africa a great country.

My responsibility in ensuring the right to freedom of expression

The right to free expression is not unlimited, and does not allow us to:
* express views which advocate hatred, or are based on prejudices with regard to race, ethnicity, gender or religion.
* We must therefore take responsibility to ensure this right is not abused by ourselves or others, to not tell or spread lies, and to ensure others are not insulted or have their feelings hurt.

Conclusion

I accept the call of this Bill of Responsibilities, and commit to taking my rightful place as an active, responsible citizen of South Africa. By assuming these responsibilities I will contribute to building the kind of society which will make me proud to be a South African.