Is South Africa's NDP Ready To Work?

By Thandisizwe Mgudlwa

Is South Africa's NDP Ready To Work?

Let's see what has been happening.

President Jacob Zuma in May 2010 appointed the National Planning Commission (NPC) to come up with drafted vision and national development plan for creating a prosperous South Africa.

The NPC, an advisory body consisted of 26 of highly educated and skilled people drawn largely from outside government, completed its's work by the end of May this years.

Zuma also congratulated the NPC for a job well done.

“As a country and government, we owe these men and women a huge debt of gratitude for serving their country with distinction.” Zuma said.

“It is pleasing to know that they are South Africans of a high calibre who when called upon to undertake the national task, they did not hesitate, they came in and did their best."

“Thank you for the good work you have done. The work they have been doing has opened up other areas where they believe we need to do more, to refine, to harmonise but also to look at how the government can be assisted in aligning what it does with the report,”  said the SA president.

Zuma further remarked that very few countries had successes of having a National Development Plan, which becomes a guide to action.

“I think for the first time we have a plan that is being followed by the national government, provincial government and local government.

“A plan that talks to how the country must be taken to prosperity,” he said.

The NDP is a plan for the country to eliminate poverty and reduce inequality by 2030 through uniting South Africans.

According to SA government sources, after releasing a draft plan in November 2011, the NPC held extensive consultations with South Africans, including government, unions, academics, industry bodies, non-profit organisations, religious associations and the general public. The response was overwhelmingly positive and the inputs have helped to strengthen the proposals made in the plan.

The National Development Plan (NDP) offers a long-term perspective. It defines a desired destination and identifies the role different sectors of society need to play in reaching that goal, former Minister in The Presidency: National Planning Commission, Trevor Manuel, said at a media briefing on the implementation of the plan on 19 February 2013.

Fundamentally, the NDP aims to eliminate poverty and reduce inequality by 2030. 

According to the plan, South Africa can realise these goals by drawing on the energies of its people, growing an inclusive economy, building capabilities, enhancing the capacity of the state, and promoting leadership and partnerships throughout society.

The NDP aims to achieve the following objectives by 2030:

Uniting South Africans of all races and classes around a common programme to eliminate poverty and reduce inequality; encourage citizens to be active in their own development, in strengthening democracy and in holding their government accountable; raising economic growth, promoting exports and making the economy more labour absorbing; focusing on key capabilities of both people and the country;  capabilities include skills, infrastructure, social security, strong institutions and partnerships both within the country and with key international partners; building a capable and developmental state; strong leadership throughout society that work together to solve our problems.

According to the NDP by 2030 there should be, a reduction in the number of people who live in households with a monthly income below R419 per person from 39 percent to zero; a reduction in inequality as measured by the Gini coefficient, from 0.69 to 0.6; this can be done by addressing the underlying causes of poverty and inequality by redirecting the focus of policy making from short- term symptom- based policies to longer- term policies based on sound evidence and reason.

At the core of the NDP, the NDP aims to ensure the achievement of a “decent standard of living” for all South Africans by 2030. A decent standard of living consists of the following core elements, housing, water, electricity and sanitation; safe and reliable public transport; quality education and skills development; safety and security; quality health care; social protection; employment; recreation and leisure; clean environment and adequate nutrition.

Another important call made is that government alone, cannot provide a decent standard of living. 

It requires determined and measurable actions from all social actors and partners across all sectors in society. 

Furthermore, the NDP is divided into thirteen chapters that addresses the most pressing challenges facing South Africa and provides solutions to these challenges in the form of proposals and actions. The plan outlines sector specific goals and a vision for South Africa to be achieved by the year 2030.  

President Zuma continued, “You did not present the country with a set of slogans. You presented well-researched facts which made it difficult for those whose work you criticised to disagree,” 

He also thanked former Minister in the Presidency Trevor Manuel and the former Deputy Chairperson of the NCP, now Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa, for successfully leading the commission and ensuring its phenomenal success.

President Zuma further thanked the Minister for Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation, Jeff Radebe, the Chairperson of the National Planning Commission, who has the responsibility of ensuring that the NDP is implemented in government.

Essentially, Minister Radebe is also tasked with promoting the NDP’s implementation across all sectors.

Meanwhile, the Presidency said the outgoing commission is finalising a discussion document on planning.

“This document draws on the commission’s experience over the past five years, and international experiences to put forward a set of recommendations on how government planning should be done,” the Presidency said.

The implementation of the NDP is supported by the Medium Term Strategic Framework (MTSF) which has been adopted by government and is currently under implementation.

The Department of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation is overseeing the monitoring of the implementation of the plan and reports to Cabinet.

“Minister Radebe has called for nominations for the new NPC, whose members are appointed by the President. An announcement will be made in due course once all the processes have been completed,” the Presidency added.

Also important to note is that the NDP consists of key programmes, projects and policies of the post 1994 dispensation like the Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP), New Growth Path, Black Economic Emporment and the Infrastructure Development Programme among others.

In additon, the NDP and its proposals need to be implemented in the correct order over the next 15 years (3 phases), for the achievement of Vision 2030 to become a reality.

"The NDP calls on all South Africans from all walks of life to join forces, uniting all energies towards the implementation of this plan. This is our plan, our future, let’s make it work!"

As things stand, the question of time-frames would need to be clarified urgently.