Cape Town – Minister in the Presidency responsible for Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation Jeff Radebe has called on South Africans to play their role in realising the goals of the National Development Plan (NDP) by participating in its roll-out campaigns.
The Minister said this when he unveiled the National Development Plan Brand Identity logo in Pretoria on Sunday.
“As South Africans, let us use this NDP Brand Identity to build a truly democratic, united, non-sexist, non-racial and prosperous South Africa,” he said.
Following the adoption of the National Development Plan in 2012, the Minister unveiled the NDP Brand Identity logo to mobilise and actively engage citizens on the NDP and its objectives.
Minister Radebe said the NDP’s government communication strategy will be rolled out in phases to showcase how South Africa can change people’s lives through the NDP, which is popularly known as Vision 2030. This vision encompasses the goals of reducing inequality and eradicating poverty by 2030.
Interacting with journalists at a media briefing, the Minister said different sectors of society - from artists, business, labour to citizens in rural areas and the media – have a role to play in ensuring that the goals of the NDP are met by 2030.
“We welcome initiatives that are already existing by various sectors, who are playing their part, such as the Eziko production group, that has developed an edu-play on the NDP and its key critical areas. This edu-play is exemplary of a socially cohesive society that strives for a common national identity.
“There are also young entrepreneurs from Cape Town, who have developed a business idea called Eza Sekasi Fridays and it demonstrates the creation of decent employment in the townships to champion the NDP.
“This initiative is a stimulus for the statement made by young people, who adopted the National Youth Policy and declared that they do not want a hand-out but a hand-up,” Minister Radebe said.
He said during Youth Month in June, he realised that the NDP is alive when a young man from Mthatha shared his success story of forming a vegetable growers’ association to ensure food security, economic viability and creation of jobs in his community.
“Government welcomes the partnership with business and labour to rally around the NDP in ensuring that there is a collective effort in workplace conflict reduction and improved cooperation between government, organised business and organised labour,” the Minister said.
He thanked the business sector and labour for having thrown their weight behind the NDP and for partnering with government to ensure that they collectively work towards the targets contained in the plan.
He called on business to further contribute to productive investment through the infrastructure build programme and competitive enhancement in productive sectors of the economy.
“We urge … members of the media to uphold their mandate as the fourth estate by ensuring that we as government are implementing the NDP by asking the right questions and holding us to account on the targets that we have set,” he said.
Deputy Minister in the Presidency Buti Manamela said the launch of the NDP Brand Identity will demonstrate that the NDP is alive, being implemented and that it is not gathering dust.
He said he would mobilise the country’s youth to rally behind the NDP government communication strategy to ensure that they too engage with the NDP actively. – SAnews.gov.za
