Johannesburg - Both the DA and ActionSA have slammed the ANC-led government for failing to implement its National Development Plan (NDP), which was meant to chart a clear economic policy framework for the whole country.
This comes amid reports that the National Planning Commission (NPC), in its scathing assessment of the policy, indicated that the government would not be able to fully implement the plan.
The NDP was poised to be a blueprint, setting out how the country would tackle a number of socio-economic challenges. The six pillars of the NDP include growing the economy, creating more jobs, improving social security, and building strong institutions.
However, not even a single pillar of the plan has been successfully implemented.
DA shadow minister in the Presidency, Zak Mbhele, has placed the blame on corruption, cadre deployment, and state capture as being responsible for the failures of the plan.
“Thanks to corruption, state capture, cadre deployment, and anti-growth policies, South Africa is now in a far worse position than it was 10 years ago when the National Development Plan (NDP) was launched. This is the record that the ANC is desperately trying to cover up and 'manage' by putting a spin on the grim numbers contained in the NPC report,” he said.
According to the NPC review report, the implementation of the NDP by the ANC government has been a resounding failure on every economic metric. Mbhele said instead of accepting their failures, the ANC-led government has elected to try and sensor the NPC.
“Instead of facing up to its own failures, the ANC has chosen to censor the NPC and go into the 2024 national elections on a platform of lies about its record in government,” Mbhele said.
ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba added that the report was an embarrassing testament to the ANC’s failures.
“Despite last-minute attempts to block the release, the report is an embarrassing testament to the ruling party as it affirms that, despite many years in government, it has simply been unable to improve the lives of our people.
“That is why ActionSA believes the report, which shows that on many indicators, South Africa is heading in the wrong direction, highlights how urgent change is necessary to turn around the current decline,” Mashaba said.
This week, the NPC said the country is poised to miss all the targets of the NDP. Some key milestones cited by the NPC include the current (expanded) unemployment rate of 42.1% and Current GDP growth of 1.1%. With GDP growth averaging 1%, the ANC government is on course to miss the 5.4% target by 2030 listed in the NDP.
“Not only has the ANC government failed to meet the 14% unemployment target by 2020, as set in the NDP, it is on course to miss the 6% unemployment target by 2030,“ Mbhele said.
The DA said the reason for this was a lack of policy management and a failing state.
“In concurrence with the DA warnings over the years, the NPC was scathing in its assessment, pointing out that a ‘deteriorating state and inappropriate policy management’ were behind the persistent problems of inequality, unrelenting poverty, and rising unemployment. In essence, the ANC government has presided over the impoverishment of South Africans at a scale and rate that is unimaginable,” Mbhele said.
He accused the ANC of being clueless and unable to stem the tide of increasing unemployment, which has crippled the country.
The Star