PREFACE
2. LEGISLATION AND POLICY COMPLIANCE COMPLIANCE
2.2. NATIONAL POLICIES
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2.2.2. NATIONAL GROWTH PATH 2009
The National Growth Path (NGP) was introduced in 2009 and aims to grow the economy by 7%, create approximately 37 000 jobs per annum and create 5 million additional jobs by 2020.
The NGP highlights that the Government is committed to forging a consensus and leading the way by:
Identifying areas where employment creation is possible on a large scale as a result of substantial changes in conditions in South Africa and globally;
Developing a policy package to facilitate employment creation in these areas, above all through;
A comprehensive drive to enhance both social equity and competitiveness;
Systemic changes to mobilize domestic investment around activities that can create sustainable employment; and
Strong social dialogue to focus all stakeholders on encouraging growth in employment-creating activities.
In achieving this, the government amongst other decisions, must prioritize its own efforts and resources more rigorously to support employment creation and equity; business must take on the challenge of investing in new areas; and business and labour together must work with government to address inefficiencies and constraints across the economy and partner to create new decent work opportunities.
Implications for the SDF
Alignment between the different the spheres of government is enshrined in our Constitution and has increasingly become a priority for national planning in this country. The SDF is expected to translate the key elements of the NDP spatially within Umzimkhulu municipality.
Figure 2: Approach to Change
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As a first step, NGP seeks to prioritize efforts to support employment creation in the following key sectors:
Infrastructure;
The agricultural value chain;
The mining value chain;
The green economy;
Manufacturing sectors, which are included in Industrial Policy Action Plan (IPAP) 2, and;
Tourism and certain high-level services.
The NGP identified the following as the job drivers:
Substantial public investment in infrastructure;
Targeting more labour-absorbing activities across the main economic sectors the agricultural and mining value chains, manufacturing and services;
Taking advantage of new opportunities in the knowledge and green economies;
Leveraging social capital in the social economy and the public services;
Fostering rural development and regional integration.
Implications for the SDF
The SDF would need to assess the economic key drivers within Umzimkhulu municipality and link that with the national targets.
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2.2.3. SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS
The proposed Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are an intergovernmental set of aspiration Goals with 169 targets which are an improvement to the Millennium development goals (MDGs). The SDG framework is all about dealing with key systematic barriers to sustainable development such as inequality, unsustainable consumption patterns, weak institutional capacity, and environmental degradation that the MDGs did not pay attention too. The MDGs dealt only with developing countries and only to a limited degree captured all three dimensions of sustainability. The SDGs have considered all countries, although the relevance of each goal will vary from country to country. The framework can be can be understood differently at different scales of action and for different issues.
The SDG framework also reflects the shared interest and responsibilities for addressing global challenges by governments at the nation-state level.
Goal 1: End poverty in all its forms everywhere Goal 2: End hunger, achieve food security and
improved nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture
Goal 3: Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages
Goal 4: Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote life-long learning opportunities for all
Goal 5: Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls
Goal 6: Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all
Goal 7: Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy for all
Goal 8: Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all
Goal 9: Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation.
Goal 10: Reduce inequality within and among countries
Goal 11: Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable
Goal 12: ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns
Goal 13: Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts
Goal 14: Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development
Goal 15: Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss
Goal 16: Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels
Goal 17: Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development
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2.2.4. COMPREHENSIVE DEVELOPMENT RURAL STRATEGY 2009
The Comprehensive Rural Development Programme (CRDP) was introduced by the DRDLR and seeks to maximize the use and management of natural resources to create vibrant, equitable and sustainable rural communities through:
Contributing to the redistribution of 30% of the country’s agricultural land;
Improving food security of the rural poor; and Creation of business opportunities, decongesting
and rehabilitation of over-crowded former homeland areas.
ULM is a predominantly rural municipality with social and economic development characteristics which require the development process to embrace the principles of the CRDP and strive towards the attainment of its vision as part of its spatial and interrelated objectives:
A coordinated and integrated broad-based agrarian transformation;
Strategically increasing rural development; and An improved land reform programme.
Strategies Implications for SDF
Strategy 1: Agrarian transformation aims to rapidly relations between land, livestock and community through the introduction of rural business initiatives, agro industries, cooperatives, cultural initiatives, empowerment of rural people etc.
The SDF will need to show areas with agricultural potential.
Strategy 2: Rural development is concerned with assisting rural people in taking control of their future in terms of their economic prosperity.
Programmes will be translated through the Capital Investment Framework.
Strategy 3: Land Reform has been re- introduced by the government were the focus will be on expediting the processing of settled claims and the settlement of outstanding claims.
The SDF will need to show all areas, if any, that have outstanding cases in the Land Reform process.
Table 3: CRDP strategies Implications for the SDF
The SDG’s are part of an international effort to address some of the most pertinent global issues. The policy reinforces some of the intentions that were set out by the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) which needs to be translated by the SDF.
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2.2.5. SOCIAL HOUSING POLICY ACT 16 OF 2008 The primary objectives of the Social Housing Programme include;
Contributing to the national priority of restructuring South African society in order to address structural, economic, social and spatial dysfunctionalities and imbalances to achieve Government’s vision of an economically empowered, non-racial, and integrated society living in sustainable human settlements.
Improving and contributing to the overall functioning of the housing sector and in particular the rental sub-component, as far as social housing is able to contribute to widening the range of housing options available to the poor.
The most important elements of urban restructuring include;
Spatial Restructuring
Spatial restructuring is necessary to address the needs of the urban poor (most black), who are located far away or completely excluded from the economic opportunities. The majority of these people also have limited or inadequate access to housing. Therefore; it is necessary to restructure the town by means of identifying appropriately located land for the provision of social housing, where places work, live, and play can be created.
Economic Restructuring
Economic restructuring will occur when social housing is used as a tool for economic revitalization of poorly performing cities or towns. Introduction of social housing in economically underperforming cities has had a positive impact in a number of cities world-wide. The number of fully completed houses will determine the scale and number of sustainable jobs created during construction. The end result will be an empowered population, which is able to use the building skills to make a living whilst creating sustainable human settlements.
Social Restructuring
Social housing can be used as a tool to create stable social environments that integrate with town with the rest of the LM.
This also means the creation of a “sense of place” where residents have a sense of belonging and feel secured.
Social housing can also be used to achieve social integration amongst people of different racial groups and backgrounds.
The Guiding Principles for Social Housing include;
Promoting urban restructuring through the social, physical, and economic integration of housing development into existing areas.
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Promoting establishment of well-managed, quality rental housing options for the poor.
Responding to local housing demand.
Delivering housing for a range of income groups, in such a way as to allow social integration and financial cross subsidisation.
Supporting the economic development of low income communities in a number of ways.
Fostering the creation of quality living environments for low-income persons.
Promoting a safe, harmonious, and socially responsible environment both internal to the project and in the immediate urban environs.
Promoting the creation of sustainable and viable projects.
Encouraging the involvement of private sector where possible.
Facilitating the involvement of residents in the project and/or key stakeholders in the broader environment.
Ensuring secure tenure for the residents of projects, on the basis of the general provisions for the relationship between residents and landlords as defined in the Housing Act, 1997 and the Rental Act, 50 of 1999.
Supporting mutual acceptance of roles and responsibilities of tenants and social landlords, on the basis of the general provisions for the relationship between residents and landlords as defined in the Rental Act, 50 of 1999, the Co- operatives Act, 91 of 1981c, as well as the Social Housing Act, 16 of 2008.
Facilitation, support and driven by all spheres of government.
Ensuring transparency, accountability and efficiency in the administration and management of social housing stock.
Promoting the use of public funds in such a manner that stimulates and/or facilitates private sector investment and participation in the social housing sector.
Operating within the provisions of the Constitution, 1996, the Public Finance Management Act, 1 of 1999, the Preferential Procurement Policy Framework Act, 5 of 2000, and other statutory procurement prescripts.
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2.2.6. STATE OF THE NATION ADDRESS
His Excellency, Jacob G Zuma, President of the Republic of South Africa delivered the state of the National Address on the joint sitting of the Parliament on 11 February 2016. The president stated that a resilient and fast growing economy is at the heart of South Africa’s radical economic transformation agenda and our National Development Plan (NDP). He highlighted that when the economy grows fast it delivers jobs.
Workers earn wages and businesses make profits. The tax base expands and allows government to increase the social wage and provide education, health, social grants, and housing and free basic services, faster and in a more sustainable manner.
He highlighted that the economy has been facing difficulties since the financial crisis in 2008, hence the state embarked on an aggressive infrastructure development programme to stimulate growth. The Presidency has had fruitful meetings with business people, including the high level meeting with chief executive officers in February 2016 as means of obtaining inputs on how the situation can be turned around and how the economy can be put back in its growing path.
Businesses emphasised the need to create the correct investment support infrastructure. The government is developing a One Stop Shop/Invest SA initiative to signal that
South Africa is truly open for business. The implementation of this service can be achieved through partnerships with the private sector. The Department of Small Business Development has been established to provide support to small business. The Black Industrialists Scheme is a new intervention, which has been launched to promote the participation of black entrepreneurs in manufacturing. It is aimed at economic transformation and black empowerment which remain a key part of all economic programmes of government.
The indicated that the government has introduced an Agri-parks Programme which is aimed at increasing the participation of small holder farmers and encourage women farmers in agricultural activities. In 2015 the state introduced the 9 point plan as means of addressing socio-economic challenges that South Africa is facing. Significant progress has been made in the implementation of such a plan.
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