This according to trade and industry minister Alec Erwin following a meeting between government and the Black Business Council (BBC) in Pretoria on Friday.
The Government delegation was led by President Thabo Mbeki and included minerals and energy minister Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, social development minister Zola Skweyiya, finance minister Trevor Manuel and minister Erwin while the BBC delegation was led by Nafcoc President Patrice Motsepe and included Black Management Forum (BMF) President Bheki Sibiya.
"Our general agreement is that if we work together, we can understand the importance of economic growth," said minister Erwin, adding that government was looking for concrete actions from the business sector.
He said government, through minister Skweyiya, briefed the BBC about its poverty alleviation projects.
"I was impressed by Zola's (Skweyiya) presentation on poverty alleviation and am convinced that government is doing a great job," said Mr Motsepe.
Tabling the Medium Term Budget Policy Statement (MTBPS) in Parliament, Cape Town recently, minister Manuel committed R400-million to poverty eradication programmes.
Mr Motsepe said he was confident of progress as they moved forward and the BBC was looking at how they could contribute to economic growth, job creation and poverty alleviation.
"We need to make South Africa a globally attractive destination for investment," he affirmed.
The meeting also discussed the forthcoming Growth and Development Summit (GDS) to be held next year and unity between black and white business sectors.-BuaNews Thabo Mokgola tel: (012) 314-2287 Dlamini-Zuma to lead delegation to SA-Zim commission Foreign affairs minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma will lead a South African delegation to the SA-Zimbabwe Joint Commission for Economic, Technical, Scientific and Cultural Co-operation to be held in Pretoria, tomorrow.
The South African delegation will include minister in the Presidency Essop Pahad, minister of trade and industry Alec Erwin, minister of land and agriculture Thoko Didiza, minister of health Manto Tshabalala-Msimang and deputy ministers Aziz Pahad, Dirk du Toit, Mandisa Mpahlwa and Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula.
The Zimbabwean ministerial delegation will include ministers July Moyo of labour, social and public service, Joseph Made of land, agricultural and rural resettlement, Kembo Mohadi of home affairs and deputy minister Chris Kuruneri of finance and economic development.
The commission was first set up in 1996 as a mechanism to consolidate political and economic bilateral relations and to address issues of mutual concern between the two countries.
Zimbabwe is South Africa's largest trading partner in Africa.
'In this context, South Africa will continue to act, as part of international efforts, to assist the people of Zimbabwe in their endeavour to find national reconciliation, economic reconstruction and sustainable development,' the department of foreign affairs (DFA) said in a statement today.
A meeting of senior officials underway in Pretoria precedes tomorrow's Ministerial Joint Commission. -BuaNews
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