ANC VOWS TO FIX ECONOMY AT ELECTION MANIFESTO LAUNCH

Sat 24 February 2024:

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, also president of the governing African National Congress (ANC), said Saturday that his party will focus on six priorities to fix the economy, including job creation, reindustrialization, investing in infrastructure and tackling the high cost of living.

The ANC will create 2.5 million job opportunities in the next five years and progressively increase Social Relief of Distress Grant for unemployed people, Ramaphosa made the remarks at the ANC’s election manifesto launch in Durban, a coastal city in the eastern province of KwaZulu-Natal.

Another priority for the ANC was to reindustrialize, and they wanted to build on that and create more industries, he said, adding that part of this plan was to support the local economy and labor-intensive industries.

Ramaphosa also pledged to invest in infrastructure, especially energy infrastructure, roads and railways, which is critical for inclusive economic growth. “As a central tenet of our strategy, we will continue to fix the current constraints in the energy, transport and logistics sectors,” he said.

The party will deal with the high cost of living, Ramaphosa said. “A number of initiatives were in the pipeline for the state to intervene and cushion those who are affected by the high cost of living. They will focus on food security and this would include VAT exemption on certain food items.”

Ramaphosa has recently determined May 29 as the date for this year’s national and provincial elections.

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