President Cyril Ramaphosa has reaffirmed government’s commitment to work with all social partners in pursuit of inclusive growth that benefits all South Africans and leaves no one behind.
The President said this in his weekly newsletter as South Africa takes its message of partnership and progress to Davos, Switzerland, this week.
President Ramaphosa and his delegation will this week attend the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos where they will be outlining South Africa’s priorities for its G20 Presidency.
“One of the messages we will be taking to Davos is our ongoing commitment to partnerships in pursuit of inclusive growth and sustainable development.
“We will present our experiences of cooperation across society in South Africa and encourage greater emphasis on partnerships in international relations. In particular, we will make a call for global companies to partner with governments, entrepreneurs and stakeholders in emerging markets to pursue sustainable and inclusive growth,” the President said.
At the centre of South Africa’s G20 agenda is the promotion of cooperation among G20 and other countries on the most pressing issues facing the world.
President Ramaphosa emphasised that this cooperation should not only take place at a government-to-government level. It should involve all social formations.
As in previous G20 presidencies, dialogue with civil society and other non-government institutions will be conducted through various engagement groups.
These engagement groups cover sectors such as business, labour, civil society, parliamentary bodies and the judiciary. Following the approach of the Brazilian G20 Presidency in 2024, South Africa will be convening a G20 Social Forum which will bring together representatives of engagement groups and other segments of civil society.
Partnership is key to South Africa’s growth and progress
President Ramaphosa highlighted that as the 7th Administration took office last year, it has made a commitment to reach out across society to find solutions to the challenges the country faces.
Since then, the President said government has placed partnership at the centre of its work.
The President highlighted that while South Africa has a rich history of dialogue and cooperation, the nation’s experience of the COVID-19 pandemic underlined how important collaboration was in saving lives and livelihoods. It showed the value of effective coordination across the state and with other sectors of society.
“One of the areas where partnerships within the state have had the greatest impact is in Operation Vulindlela. This initiative has brought together government departments and public institutions to undertake focused reforms in areas such as energy, logistics, telecommunications and water infrastructure.
“We also have structures like the President’s Coordinating Council, which brings together leaders from national, provincial and local governments to deal collectively with common challenges,” the President said.
In other areas, the 7th Administration has brought the different spheres of Government together with other stakeholders. Last year, the President established the Presidential eThekwini Working Group to support the metro in its efforts to restore business confidence and overcome service delivery challenges.
Together, the working group has made progress on things such as water supply, tourism infrastructure and law enforcement.
“We have seen the value of partnership in our response to the electricity crisis. The progress we have made in reducing the severity of load shedding has been made possible by bringing together Government departments, State-owned companies, business, labour and other social partners. The National Electricity Crisis Committee has played a crucial role in coordinating and focusing the efforts of these many different players,” he said.
Another area that is benefiting from such partnerships is in rail and port operations. President Ramaphosa noted that these are beginning to stabilise and recover lost volumes as a result of efforts to support Transnet’s operational recovery.
“An important area of structured cooperation is the partnership between Government and business to unlock impediments to inclusive growth. Though our respective roles and mandates may differ, we are aligned on the need to drive inclusive economic growth and job creation,” the President said.
President Ramaphosa explained that areas of cooperation have extended beyond immediate economic issues. For example, Government came together with civil society partners on a national strategy to end gender-based violence and femicide.
Furthermore, government has worked with various sectors through bodies like the South African National Aids Council and the Human Resource Development Council, leveraging collective resources and capabilities to promote development. – SAnews.gov.za
