ROAD TO 2024 ELECTIONS
ANC manifesto promises ‘prescribed assets’, NHI in five years, 3.5m new state job opportunities
The governing party’s manifesto promises 3.5 million new state-created work opportunities, and a basic income grant built by extending and growing the Social Relief of Distress grant. It wants a ‘decisive victory’.
As the ANC fights its most challenging election in 30 years, the governing party has promised to create 3.5 million work opportunities in the next five years if it wins the May 29 election. Jobs are Issue Number One for South African voters, the largest poll has shown.
The party wants to direct investment assets into its growth and plans. It says it will “Engage and direct financial institutions to invest a portion of their funds in industrialisation, infrastructure development and the economy, through prescribed assets”, the manifesto says. It also wants to capitalise on a sovereign wealth fund, although the budget deficit and state debt are at their highest levels.
Prescribed assets, a sovereign wealth fund and an incursion of the state in monetary policy (the remit of the independent SA Reserve Bank) have been written into several ANC manifestos, but have yet to be implemented. The party also again promises more land expropriation without compensation.
It says it will “align macroeconomic policy with economic and social priorities” in the manifesto, including interest and exchange rates. The SA Reserve Bank sets interest rates, while the markets set the foreign exchange rate of the rand.”
The ANC’s election manifesto launch at Moses Mabhida Stadium on 24 February 2024 in Durban, South Africa. (Photo: Gallo Images / Darren Stewart)
Cyril’s employment agency
President Cyril Ramaphosa is now the country’s biggest employer because of his presidential employment stimulus and wants to increase his workforce. The signature pledge for the party facing a jobs crisis election is to boost his employment plan by 2.5 million opportunities, says the party’s manifesto released on Saturday, February 24.
The party says an additional 1 million jobs will come from incentives for small enterprises, entrepreneurs, and co-ops, especially in towns or villages.
“…1.2 million young people each year join the labour market. Around 3.4 million young people are not in employment, education or training, and 4.9 million people between 18 and 35 years old are unemployed,” the manifesto states.
More state banks
The ANC also wants to start a “public banking sector” by creating more banks for specific sectors and a “public retail banking system”. The party will “mobilise additional domestic and international resources to support priorities including through progressive tax reforms and other measures”. The Postbank, the country’s largest state-owned bank, is in a perennial crisis; provincial banks like VBS Bank (Limpopo) and Ithala Bank (KZN) have been beset by serial corruption crises.
Supporters arrive at the African National Congress election manifesto launch at Moses Mabhida Stadium on 24 February 2024 in Durban, South Africa. (Photo: Gallo Images / Darren Stewart)
‘ANC leaders care only about themselves.’
The ANC is on the ropes, with polls predicting its worst election outcome. In 1994, the ANC won 62% of the vote, but three opinion polls now predict it either will not get a majority or just about scrape over 50% on May 29. (New research says the party can get 53%, but it has yet to be public.)
The governing party responds with a mea culpa to the misery in its core loyal voters who are either not voting or turning to other parties, including the EFF and Action SA.
“The hardship and suffering of many have led them to believe that ANC leaders care only about themselves, that we are soft on corruption, and that we do not care about the suffering of ordinary people.
“We admit we made mistakes as the ANC, with some members and leaders undermining institutions of the democratic state and advancing selfish personal interests.
“Now the ANC is working hard to restore trust and confidence … We are now raising the intellectual capacity and enhancing the moral and ethical orientation of our membership,” the party says.
There is a roiling debate in the ANC on whether or not members named in the Commission of Inquiry on State Capture for further investigation toward possible prosecution should be put on party election lists. On Saturday, February 24, Ramaphosa said only clean members of the party (those who could get through “the eye of the needle” – the party’s biblical shorthand for integrity) would get on to its candidate lists.
Dealing with hunger and poverty
The party also wants to increase the basket of VAT-exempt foodstuff, and support community and home gardens to boost food security. About 30% of South Africans suffer from hunger. Ramaphosa said a future government would attack price-fixing, which worsened the cost of living crisis. The national minimum wage would continue to increase.
While the ANC has not yet committed to a basic income grant, the manifesto says it will “Progressively implement a basic income support grant by extending and improving the value and coverage of SRD [social relief of distress] grant for the unemployed”.
On energy security, the party only devotes one line despite load shedding being one of its biggest challenges and a factor dragging down its support. It promises to “Promote cheaper and subsidised solar power”. The government will install rooftop solar panels in poor areas.
The ANC also highlights a “National Oil company” so the state can build its petroleum refining capacity. President Cyril Ramaphosa said SA was going through a “challenging time” but said investment in energy, road and rail infrastructure would end load shedding.
The ANC will use public works employees to “fix potholes, pave roads, and maintain community and rural roads, as well as other road infrastructure”. The ANC also wants to strengthen the taxi industry through formalisation and wants to “move towards’ subsidising taxi commuters.
The manifesto says the National Health Insurance (NHI) will be implemented over five years, but this week’s budget only allocates R1.4-billion to the NHI plan.
At total cost, the NHI envisages a budget of R600-billion a year, pooling the public and private health expenditures. Ramaphosa said the NHI Bill on his desk would be signed.
Nothing new on crime and corruption
Despite crime and corruption being one of the most pressing issues for the governing party, there is nothing new in its pledges, but rather a continuity of existing policies.
The party says it will “strengthen the SAPS Economic Infrastructure Task teams” to deal with entrenched organised syndicates. It again promises data and evidence-based policing, as well as a focus on gang violence and cash-in-transit heists. The manifesto says there will be more “frontline police officers”.
The party will continue strengthening the National Prosecuting Authority, reviewing the Criminal Procedures Act, reducing backlogs and delays, and supporting the Legal Aid Board.
The party again promises more rigorous lifestyle audits, improved vetting, and real-time audits of critical projects, and says it will strengthen anti-corruption bodies. “We have to treat corruption as a crime against our people,’ said Ramaphosa.
A tough approach to illegal immigration
As immigration becomes a hot-button topic on different campaign trails, the usually laissez-faire ANC turns tough.
It highlights the ongoing overhaul of three significant pieces of migration legislation, and says that refugee and asylum centres should be placed closer to border posts. The party pledges to “Regulate employment of foreign workers … to give preference to South African jobseekers, and act against employment and exploitation of undocumented persons”. It also promises to simplify visa applications.
Responding to cadre deployment
The DA has placed cadre deployment and its impact on the developmental state on the agenda, and the ANC manifesto responds to this.
“The ANC has strengthened the selection criteria for public representative candidates, prioritising skills, educational knowledge, experience and integrity,” Ramaphosa said the DAs were hypocrites in the policy. In the past few days, former members of the DA have revealed that the opposition party deploys similar policies as Rebecca Davis reported here.
How does the ANC manifesto compare with two other party manifestos released?
The ANC manifesto is more grounded in accurate data than the EFF voter pledge, which uses incorrect information to make populist promises. It is progressive but more conservative on migration than in the past. The manifesto, like the EFF’s, is built on state power as a driver of its election promises. Both parties focus on the black majority and how to empower and employ young people.
The DA manifesto scrubs black empowerment (BEE) from its pledges to voters, and its focus on crime and corruption is stronger than the ANC’s. The DA focuses on employment through growth, while both the ANC and EFF target the state as the employer or jobs driver. The DA manifesto is more private sector-friendly than the ANC manifesto. DM
What a load of hogwash. How sad so many thousands are fooled, again and again and again. So get your T-Shirt, get your cap and your Kentucky, line up for the water truck, queue for your dignity pack and food parcel. And pray you don’t end up in an ANC hospital.
The millions who are fooled don’t have pension funds or medical aid plans. They don’t have the ability to understand what the implications of prescribed assets are, but they do like the promise of free stuff at taxpayers’ expense.
Kentucky?
Election pop quiz!
Is the image showing:
1. the world’s largest crime family
2. the largest collection of useless ever assembled
3. both
We’ve all been sucked in for 30 years of crime and failure Mr President. No more.
Wild guess but could it be 3?
WOW its Unbelievable!!
Talk is cheap.
The actual experience of huge state intervention has brought us to our current situation, massive unemployment, low economic growth, poor service delivery, over 700 state owned enterprises that are unproductive and make losses, massive crime and corruption etc, etc…how does more of doing the same bring a different result. It lacks any credibility as a plan that is deliverable. It is a plan to deliver more of the same where the ANC remains more important than the State, the ANC do more of “as they please” whilst diminishing democracy, personal safety and so, so sadly, the poor remain trapped in poverty starved of opportunity.
The ANC can’t even balance its own books. It doesn’t have any of the skills required to pull anything like this off, they are selling fairy tales. The scariest thing about the ANC is that it doesn’t know just how incompetent it is.
The only country on earth people actually vote for poverty. Viva, votahs, viva!
Just electioneering this thieving governmunt make the 5 year promises so that the stupid masses will just keep coming back for more, pathetic THIEVING MONGRELS
Here we go, with the expected populist promises for the rapid implementation of the NHI which is completely unaffordable and increasing the social relief of distress grant, with the expectation that it will become a basic income grant. The ideological promises of creating more state banks, when the existing ones are complete disasters and adjusting the mandate of the Reserve Bank and developing a National Oil Company, when the world is moving towards renewables, are specifically to counter the EFF and the MK parties. Yet again promises to create millions of jobs while failing to address the structural issues that are inhibiting economic growth and job creation. The same old direct funding of job opportunities, with now real clue of how to create employment. Minimal indication of how are going to address the fundamental issues of the energy crisis, crime, and the cratering infrastructure, and corruption and maladministration.
The promises of rejuvenating the Party and addressing the corruption and maladministration, while clearly maintaining cadre deployment, are completely impossible.
The same repeated, deluded and empty promises, clearly aimed at trying to dupe voters into believing yet again that the ANC has their best interests at heart, and will deliver on their promises.
The ANC has created a socialist state.
I would encourage you to watch Senegalese activist, Magatte Wade, on Youtube,
on why African countries embrace socialism.
The ANC has essentially created a welfare state which relies on a culture of dependency from poor South Africans.
Capitalism and Free enterprise are not encouraged.
The difficulty which comes with opening a business in this country can attest to this.
The government should be encouraging South Africans to embrace entrepreneurship but this is purposely not done as this breaks the culture of dependence.
The ANC has embraced this infantile mindset of painting the West as evil, money hungry monsters who are out to exploit/colonize Africa but at the same don’t mind being exploited/colonized by Russia and China.
This is exactly like the story of Animal Farm!!
The ANC’s excuse for pillaging this country: “We are your liberators, and, therefore, we are more equal than you”.
As per story, if there were any dissenting comments from the farm animals,
the leaders Napolean, Old Major and the top brass would form committees and sub committees to deal with issues but nothing came of it.
If there were dissenting views within their own ranks, the relevant members were sacrificed and vilified.
Before long, the farm animals were unable to differentiate between the former oppressors and their current oppressors.
There is a lot to criticise above. But, Angus, let’s be honest. South Africa is not a socialist state. It is liberal capitalist state with touches of social democracy. Evidence: Private corporations, private medical care, private transportation networks, private education, private security, stock exchange, private housing development, private property ownership and rights…. Please think about THESE, and tell me whether this is socialist.
Private medical care ? For how long? Your evidence is flawed – every item you mention is under attack by the neo-Stalinists.
I think the point made is that the private sector is alive (and unwell). This does not mean we should accept the ANC’s socialist trajectory but be accurate and realistic about where we are as a country. Changing the direction of a course is different from changing a course completely.
However, BBEEE, Cadre deployment, SOE’s for key services, ever increasing social grants funded by the private sources are all evidence of SA being a socialist country.
More people on social grants than in formal employment?
Ismail, let us evaluate your evidence: “Private corporations, private medical care, private transportation networks, private education, private security, stock exchange, private housing development, private property ownership and rights….” are all funding social grants, and are regulated and hamstrung by BBEEE, AA, Cadre deployment. So, while the private sector is there, it is legislated to push a socialist paradigm.
Where the private sector is resistant to this push, the ANC government is attempting to legislate compliance.
They think they’re free but they have just exchanged one form of oppression for another. And think it’s all fine because the new oppressors have a similar skin colour.
Poor, poor fools.
What was that proverb about the trees voting for the axe?
“The forest grew thinner, and yet the trees still voted for the axe. For the axe was clever, and had convinced the trees that, because his handle was made of wood, he was one of them.”
My bullshit detector is overloading right now… luckily it has a UPS.
Has there ever been a bigger collection of naive fools in one place in recent history? One just has to look at the past record of the ANC to see what will happen in the future. I was going to take it point by point, but that will need a book. But I will say this: if you vote for the ANC, EFF, or MK, you have nothing but my contempt. As one commenter on these pages said a few days ago, the world is made of protons, electrons, neutrons and morons.
There are quite a few peeps who frequently express the opinion that persons who continue to vote for the ANC or the EFF (or any other party they have an aversion to) are ‘stupid’ (using a catchall phrase)
What we all forget is our own privilege. Not privilege in terms of assets, but privilege with respect to knowledge and information. In short, we arguably have a better understanding of how things can and should work. The majority of our people don’t have access to the same information we might have & in fact there day is taken up worrying about food & their families survival. There ‘vote’ is then based on very different criteria to our own. By definition they will be more susceptible to promises, less likely to question these promises & far more likely to believe ‘one of their own.’
The real tragedy of the ANC is their dishonesty. They are dishonest about their own member dishonesty. They are dishonest about about their own inability & consequently they are also dishonest in their words and promises to the electorate.
I agree. Ironically the ANC’s complete failure to provide our people with an education is likely the only thing keeping them in power. It is a tragedy for all of us.
Well said
One could grant that for one or two, maybe 3 elections but we’ve had 5 and it only gets worse each time
“You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you can not fool all of the people all of the time.”
― Abraham Lincoln
True. But the critical part of that statement is you CAN fool some people all the time. Unfortunately the “some people” are quite a large portion of the overall population.
…… but could be less than 50% come election time
The fact the anc is still in power debunks that quote
Old RamaPromises at it again. Promises, promises, promises . . . . just more lies intended to fool the masses, intended to trick the masses into voting for the ANC. Once voted into office, the promises will evaporate and the masses will remain in poverty and hopelessness for yet another five years.
We don’t have a socialist state. Denmark, Sweden etc are socialist. The ANC are actually fascists with their central command and control of everything. In socialist states the public receive something for their taxes, we receive nothing because the comrades break or steal everything.
Can we please stop procreating 1.2m new babies per year that all needs food, schooling, healthcare and jobs!
Re 1+m jobs in towns and villages through small entrepreneurs: do we really need more table linen and beads!
Population growth is inversely proportional to girls’ and women’s level of education.
A co-worker told me a few years ago that she would like to get sterilised, but could only get the operation at a government hospital when she had 3 children.
In my culture, couples or single women choose whether or not to get pregnant. I don’t believe that all SA women and girls have this choice, by any means.
ANC has incredibly played hide and seek with the electorate for far too long and electorate seem to enjoy it. Manifesto unconvincing for the politically crackerjack.
Ramaphosa, the ANC President, a serial (Cyril) liar every time his lips move.
I am wondering, did the ANC pay for the venue in advance, or was it for free?
It’s hard to believe 60000 people are gullible in one place, together and united in their own gullibility!
Majority of these promises have been made before and never delivered . Currently with a less capable civil service and no additional money than prior years this is not possible. The worrying factor is that the majority of black youth born post 94 , have not registered to vote , they have given up on democracy.
Lies, more lies and damn ANC lies!
What SA do need is:
1. a reduction of government size by 50% to free up cash in the economy for investment in new businesses.
2. scrap labour laws and let free market forces determine worker salaries.
3. Scrap all AA and BEEE laws and let merit dictate ALL appointments.
4. decentralize governance to grassroots level and split up the ungovernable monster metros into small governable municipalities.
5. Restrict welfare grants to elderly people (65+), orphans and terminally sick people. No healthy person must receive any FREE money for doing nothing … let the jobless work in labour camps for food and shelter, that they produce themselves, while they are fixing railways, roads, water supply and sewage systems.
6. SHUT THE BORDERS for all illegal migrants.
Every time he speaks these days Ramaphosa is creating millions of jobs. From what? Cadre deployment? BBB-EE? Bulding new dams and Eskoms? Launching and impossible NHI? Attracting foreign investors? Forget it. Fikile Mbalula scotched any idea of SA attracting foreign investors last week when he told all our trading partners and friends in the EU, UK, and US to bugger off as South Africa was now loyal only to Putin and Russia. If the ANC wins, we all die.
The ANC is hell-bent on undoing mistakes of the recent past Ramaphosa tells us. Bullshit! How? By reinstating the corrupt Zandile Gumede to fight for the ANC which had kicked her out of her position as Ethekwini mayor? That’s one of the angles they said they may pursue. Or are they going to apologise to our friends and trading partners for Fikile Mbalula’s promise that “South Africa is ready to sacrifice its relationships with other friends for the sake of its relationship with Russia”. And not a murmur from either Ramaphosa or the ANC in denial of this. This is self-inflicted destruction of our country and a statement of unadulterated treason. Our police force has been reduced to a criminal enterprise but Ramaphosa refuses to fire its architect Bheki Cele. Every SOE is in collapse mode and broke. Is the ANC going to give millions of jobs to young people to rebuild them? And pay them with what? Dream on. Its taken the ANC just the last 20 years to reduce SA to a basket case and now they tell us they are capable of rebuilding it. What utter crap!
There is no need to read after the first paragraph (not a critique of the author, but the ANC).
> The governing party’s manifesto promises 3.5 million new state-created work opportunities
They are famous for their promises. Curious – when do they deliver on their word? Why would they now?
> … basic income grant built by extending and growing the Social Relief of Distress grant
This party has looted the State Coffers and, as usual – wants the private citizen to top it up. I am shocked. How out of character.
And now they are coming for your pension. Can we just call these clowns what they are communists?
This is all moot. Our high-minded discourse is not signalled nor relevant to the average voter, who likely lives below the poverty line, and naturally has different priorities.
Quite frankly how can anyone even listen to read this utter BS from the mouth of el Presidente Ramaphoria? Three Million Jobs (opportunities not real jobs….so on paper only), in a real economic environment created by the ANC, where we read daily of retrenchments in their tens of thousands, and we see our industry and infrastructure crumbling around us. The upper echelons of the ANC live in cloud coocoo land and believe their own bull. Apparently the packed Mabhida Stadium shows there are far too many South Africans who believe this propaganda. Hopefully it’s only for the shirt and cap. Sad day for SA. The ANC wants to get into banking but looking at its hopeless record in the ANC government in management and operations of the Postbank and VBS leaves one flabbergasted that it wants to enter the serious banking marketplace with our money in order to have it pilfered by the comrades. Ag sies man!
el Presidente wails on about the number of unemployed people there are in SA, which is astronomical; but in his wisdom he has not addresses the issue of the UNEMPLOYABLE people we have…those who do not have the basic education to perform a job other than digging ditches and that is classified as “NOT decent work”….in a country with missions upon millions unemployed, we add the need for work to be decent! Makes me nauseous.
Bravo
…and they continue in their incredible ignorance and greed to punt the NHI in an economic environment in which our miscreant ANC government cannot afford to hire some 800 graduate medical doctors and cannot maintain existing hospitals and clinics. And this same ANC criminal cartel wants us to hand them hundreds of BILLIONS to run something which we all know they are completely incapable of doing?
NO ANC….you have failed in every way, shape, and fashion, and then some. You have broken everything that you have touched. (we are all aware of the acronyms, so I won’t list them again) Thank God there are still a few things left operational and they are all in the hands of South Africa Inc. PRIVATELY OWNED.
So el Presidente and your ANC sycophants, please leave us alone; do the honourable thing and just walk away into the desert and never come back, and we’ll fix what you f**ked.
What did Einstein say?
“Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”
We have a population who are cleary insane!
Sounds like Boswell Wilkie economics is going to make for a lot more hungry and angry South Africans. Economic policy written by Enid blyton. Foreign policy written by squirrel rumandcolas boss in Iran. Security policy written by the cat in the hat. The only thing left for the anc is to declare war on narnia which is the real home of the Zionists
CR. promises 3.5m more government jobs….thats 3.5m more living off the taxpayer and doing very little or its 3.5m salaries going into the pockets of the politically connected family and friends! Sis man!
Sadly Ferial, DM has just become a 2nd N24, with articles and comments of contributors virtually the same, although less than 2% in number. Articles have become weak, and like also-runs. Where has the independence gone? Or are you waiting for a take-over by Naspers?
We can only hope and pray these crime bosses don’t get the majority.
I will only deal with first few paras.
So the ANC says it wants millions of new jobs. It has had 30 years to adopt economic policies to create new jobs but has done the opposite. The dire state of the economy, the reduction of jobs etc has been almost solely due to the economic policies and economic mismanagement of the ANC over the last few years. And now they say they want jobs.
Prescribed assets. Lets rather call this partial expropriation of retirement funds which will earn lower returns than if left alone. The pain of this partial expropriation will be felt later when the owner of teh assets retires. By then, of course, the ANC will be a distant memory
No bucket of gravy will go untapped by Cyril and his merry band. The ANC is very much like a locust swarm. They are hungry, voracious and not terribly siezed with thoughts of what happens when they’ve stripped the farm completely bare.
“Create 3,5 million state opportunities”..what does that result in? The state sector is already overloaded!..producing what? DEBT, and who bears the load?..the taxpayers!This does not contribute towards the GDP!!!!! The ECONOMY needs to GROW!!!!
Start with 2 more people at Plett Home affairs – that will double the current bureaucracy and reduce the waiting time from 3 hours to 21/2!
There is only 1 option left for SA and that is Capexit. The rest of the country likes it effed up and there is nothing that can be done about it. It’s Africa by default.
They are so brazen that they don’t even try that hard to appear not to be lying. Criminal stupidity should make one ineligible to vote.
Cherry picking this development. ” and developing a National Oil Company,” I would bring everyone’s attention to the following: Iran to help develop 5 refineries in South Africa: president.
“TEHRAN, Aug. 25 2023(Xinhua) — Iran has reached an agreement with South Africa to “develop and equip” five refineries in the African state, said Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi on Friday.
The agreement was reached on the sidelines of the 15th BRICS Summit in Johannesburg, South Africa, the president of Iran said in a statement. Naledi Pandor being our queen of sucking to Iran and no doubt also facilitating their entry to BRICS.
Under the agreement, the Iranian Oil Ministry will help to develop five refineries in South Africa by exporting “technical and engineering services,” said the statement.
Earlier this month, Iran and South Africa convened the 15th session of the Joint Commission of Economic Cooperation in the latter’s administrative capital Pretoria, after a three-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
During the meeting, Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and South Africa’s Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Naledi Pandor inked a document on economic cooperation. ”
I do not believe there was a tender out for this so, I take this is as a typical geostrategic corruption where the state contracts direct with another state. I first found this term in South America, which if you check this on the web, China, Russia and Iran are the leading exponents of this corruption method.
We had in the state capture years Chinese locomotives, after a suspect retender, Chinese Companies monopolised all the new SANRAL bridges after truly South African Companies were robbed.
The ANC is able to perpetuate its hold on power because of its control of the education of the masses. Since coming into power, it has provided an “education” to the mass of the population but at the same time has lowered the quality of this education. The education required for our children to succeed in the economy is still dictated by having the money to access quality education. (Where do the majority of the politicians send their children?)
So, until the masses eventually, via the digital tools that are becoming more affordable, educate themselves to see through the propaganda being thrown at them by the politicians – the ANC will still hang on – after that? Perhaps a South African dawn..
They’ll be lucky if any of them still have jobs in June, never mind adding 3.5 Million others.