Bela Bela - Government is satisfied with the progress made across its five key priority areas, namely health, education, rural development, job creation as well as safety and crime prevention, Collins Chabane, the Minister in the Presidency responsible for Performance Monitoring and Evaluation said on Friday.
Speaking at the end of the Cabinet Lekgotla which started in Bela Bela, Limpopo, on Tuesday, Chabane said the meeting had provided the basis for President Jacob Zuma's State of the Nation Address to be delivered early next month.
"In broad terms, our deliberations focused on the mid-term review, the economic situation and progress on the Presidential Infrastructure Coordinating Commission," Chabane said.
He said Zuma was worried that "too many" South Africans were unemployed and living in poverty.
Government will intensify its efforts in job creation, infrastructure development, agriculture, mining and the green economy.
"Government is worried about the capacity of the State to implement some programmes. That is why the Presidential Infrastructure Commission was created to ensure alignment and speedy progress in all major projects that need to be undertaken, including infrastructure," Chabane said.
The four-day meeting also discussed ways to improve the State's capacity in economic planning and the need to strengthen the management and leadership of critical delivery institutions.
"Cabinet therefore examined progress made with regard to the six areas that have been identified under the New Growth Path as the key drivers to reduce unemployment," said Chabane.
Cabinet also emphasised the need for government and its partners in other sectors to maximise the initiatives that have been created to sustain economic activity and growth.
On the reported economic situation in Limpopo, Chabane said the executive will await a report of the ministers who have been tasked to deal with the matter. Last year, Cabinet took a decision to implement a section 100 (1)(b) intervention in the Limpopo government in the wake of a financial meltdown in the province.
