The African National Congress urged the government on Monday to intervene to ensure that the majority of South Africans benefit from the country’s stabilising economy.
”Despite evidence of a stabilising economy, the majority, particularly African people, continue to suffer,” ANC secretary general Kgalema Motlanthe said in Johannesburg.
He was briefing reporters following the party’s executive committee meeting over the weekend.
Motlanthe said direct intervention is needed to help municipalities in ”economically depressed areas”, which are struggling to empower people with access to capital, skills and training.
He said in order to do this, a concrete understanding of the ”second economy” is needed.
Motlanthe said some of these municipalities have no revenue base to tackle these challenges.
Party spokesperson Smuts Ngonyama said: ”The majority of our people are still poor and faced by unemployment and live in areas that are economically depressed.”
Ngonyama said more clarity is needed on policies regarding ownership of land for food production, investment and settlement.
He also said for the economic development of poor people to be realised, the country ought to be united.
”The neglect of this central task [of uniting people] is the main reason that certain countries around the world that are riddled with wars have not been able to focus on challenges of economic development,” he said.
Ngonyama said, however, more people are ”beginning to show a shared sense of identity”.
He said the context of the executive committee meeting was to commit the party to President Thabo Mbeki’s State of the Nation address, calling for a united South Africa. — Sapa