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Giyani – President Jacob Zuma says the economy of the country cannot be skewed in favour of one racial group and should be shared by all.
“For freedom to be complete, the economy of our country mustn’t be skewed along racial lines. We must give practical meaning to the demand of the Freedom Charter that all shall share in the country’s wealth,” Zuma told thousands of people in Giyani, Limpopo, yesterday.
“Government will continue to implement black economic empowerment programmes, as well as affirmative action programmes.”
Zuma was speaking during Freedom Day celebrations. He said the government was introducing programmes that would ensure black people also played a role in the economy.
“We’ve introduced new programmes, such as the promotion of black participation in the manufacturing sector actively as industrialists.
In partnership with the private sector, government will continue to work towards economic transformation so that we can expand our economy and create much needed jobs,” said Zuma.
He acknowledged the continuing co-operation between government and the private sector. Zuma said consultations with business were ongoing to find ways of igniting economic growth and creating jobs, to mitigate the punishing global economic climate.
“We also continue to engage labour. Together we recently resolved a critical matter relating to worker pensions, which was of concern to the labour movement, especially Cosatu,” said Zuma.
Meanwhile, Zuma said people must not discredit the country for their own personal gain.
“There are those who’ve decided to make it their full-time job to deny these achievements of our country, and to rubbish our country locally and abroad. We mustn’t allow them to succeed,” said Zuma.
“South Africa is a great country. It’s a beautiful country and it has wonderful, remarkable and hard working people. We should all celebrate our collective achievements, and work to correct whatever needs to be corrected as we move towards a more prosperous society.”
Zuma said the government was improving the lives of its citizens and that this should be celebrated.
“Indeed, this country is trying its best to be the best home for all its citizens, especially the poor. We’re happy as government that we’ve the support of the community as we deliver all these programmes. Together we’ll continue building better communities. Let’s work together to build our country and move South Africa forward, together,” said Zuma.
– President Jacob Zuma will not be removed from office and will complete his second term, Arts and Culture Minister Nathi Mthethwa said yesterday.
“No one’s going to remove President Zuma from office,” Mthethwa told thousands gathered at the Giyani Stadium for Freedom Day celebrations.
“President Zuma and his government have been elected and are expected to go out and renew the mandate in 2019 and it’s going to be so.”
Mthethwa said the Constitution of the country dictated that a president serve five years, and nothing would change that. He said those calling for Zuma to be recalled were trying to bypass the electoral system to claim a victory.
“The people today who want to take short cuts [after] being defeated in the ballot box by voting out the president by impeachment aren’t going to succeed. We will continue to lead,” said Mthethwa.
He said the ANC was the only party that could take the Constitution of the country forward. He said small parties would not affect how people saw the ANC.
“There are no Mickey Mouse parties that will tell the electorate what to do. Those parties must know there’s only one president for South Africa,” he said.
– President Jacob Zuma’s eldest son Edward yesterday warned South Africans to guard against non-governmental organisations which were “devils in a sheep skin”.
In a statement Edward echoed sentiments made by State Security Minister David Mahlobo in his budget vote speech on Tuesday. “Not everybody’s our friend. The forces that are opposed to us are hard at work. Our NGOs play an important part in South Africa, but there are those who work to destabilise the state,” Mahlobo reportedly told MPs.
Zuma said: “As a country, we’re facing a situation where the youth and people in general are being told and fed lies and misinformation by all NGOs that are used by agents of the West to start a revolution in our country.
“They’ve done it in many other countries around the world and we should be careful of them because they are devils in a sheep skin, we shouldn’t be fooled by. . . rebels of our hard-earned freedom, instead their calls should fall on deaf ears.”
Zuma continued his attack on business tycoon Johan Rupert, against whom he recently laid a charge of corruption at a Nkandla police station.
He hit out at Julius Malema, Rupert, Trevor Manuel, Maria Ramos and “many who call themselves various names”.
He said some people did not care about the country and were only interested in destroying it.
“They’ve never had the interests of the country and its people, rather they’ve been part of those that destroyed our country with the apartheid regime. For example, the Project Spider Web should be able to clarify all one has suspected all these years once its content is investigated.”
He said the “unholy alliance” was a mission founded by those who did not approve of the relationship South Africa enjoys with other BRICS countries.
“Hence, President Zuma is their enemy number one because he’s not controlled like those who’re now making noise today, and those who want to forcefully remove the existing democratically elected government.”
Zuma also took a dig at former Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi, saying: “South Africans must resist and not just stand and watch our country being destroyed by Zwelinzima Vavi and his crew. True sons and daughters of this beloved country should defend it at all cost.”
Vavi was among many prominent people who recently called for Zuma to resign following a damning Constitutional Court ruling which found that Zuma had flouted the Constitution when he ignored Public Protector Thuli Madonsela’s remedial action on the non-security upgrades done at his private home in Nkandla. — Sapa
Bongani Ndlovu
Online Reporter