President Cyril Ramaphosa preparing his SONA 2021 speech. [Photo: GCIS]
UN describes Ramaphosa’s SONA as ‘ambitious and achievable’
President Cyril Ramaphosa delivered his 2021 State of the Nation Address to the first ever hybrid joint sitting of the National Assembly and the NationalCouncil Of Provinces Thursday.
President Cyril Ramaphosa preparing his SONA 2021 speech. [Photo: GCIS]
The United Nations has welcomed President Cyril Ramaphosa’s annual State of the Nation Address (SONA), saying it’s closely aligned to the achievement of the UN’s Agenda 2030 for sustainable development.
The Sustainable Development Goals or Global Goals are a collection of 17 interlinked global goals designed to be a “blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all.”
The UN’s Resident Coordinator in South Africa, Nardos Bekele-Thomas, said the President’s focus on four priority areas ─ the fight against the coronavirus pandemic, accelerating economic recovery, implementing economic reforms to drive growth and job creation, and his tough talk in the fight against corruption ─ as “positive, ambitious and achievable.”
“We welcome the extension of the Covid-19 relief grant for a further three months as well as the relief to private sector businesses that have been severely impacted by this crippling pandemic. These initiatives will go a long way in mitigating the devastating impact of the virus.”
Corruption
The United Nations strongly agrees with the President’s view that “corruption is one of the greatest impediments to the country’s growth and development” and keenly anticipate the appointment of members to the Anti-Corruption Advisory Council, said Bekele-Thomas.
“We support the zero-tolerance stance on corruption in the public sector and are heartened by his commitment to clean up municipalities.”
While the country continues to wage war against fraud and corruption, the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) recently announced that 6 140 government officials face criminal liability after investigations found that they had dipped into the TERS to the tune of R41 million.
She said President Ramaphosa restated commitment to end gender-based violence is in line with his many initiatives undertaken thus far, and that the UN will continue to provide support on this critical issue.
Bekele-Thomas also applauded the President for his commitment to the Paris Agreement and the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, as well as increasing renewables into South Africa’s energy mix.
“We are encouraged by the establishment of the Presidential Coordinating Commission on Climate Change and we look forward to future engagements with the United Nations as part of our collective efforts to combat this threat.”
EMPLOYMENT DRIVE
In jump-starting the economy amid the pandemic, Ramaphosa announced a commitment of R100 billion to support and create over 800 000 employment opportunities over the next three years.
This will be done through the Reconstruction and Recovery Plan aimed at steering the country back to desirable growth levels in the aftermath of the Coronavirus pandemic.
In addition, over 60 000 jobs will be created for labor-intensive maintenance and construction of municipal infrastructure and rural roads.
Vaccines
