President Thabo Mbeki says the tide has turned and the hope of a
better future for all is taking shape.
Delivering his State of the Nation Address in Parliament today, the last in the First Decade of Freedom, the President said ‘we must approach the Second Decade of Freedom (2004-2014) as one in which the tide of progress will sweep away the accumulated legacy of poverty and underdevelopment.’
‘The tide has turned. The people’s contract for a better tomorrow is taking shape,’ the President said.
President Mbeki said this year would see the further expansion of services to the people, as a result of successes made over the years to generate resources to address social needs.
To much applause he said the expansion this year of social services would cover a number of areas including old age and disability pensions as well as the child support grant, which would be extended to cover children up to the age of 14.
Among these would be the School Feeding Scheme, food and nutrition, education, health, water and electricity.
‘As we are extending unemployment insurance to workers that have previously been excluded, such as domestic, seasonal and agricultural workers, we urge all employers to ensure that their workers are properly registered,’ he said.
He added that the specific objective regarding all these interventions was to reach as many of the most vulnerable as possible.
To ensure an integrated approach to this matter of further expanding services, President Mbeki said this year would also see the completion of government’s work on a Comprehensive Social Security System, speeding up the establishment of the National Social Security Agency, as well as the Social Health Insurance.
Some of the measures would be taken in the context of government’s expanded service delivery, including the provision of free health care to persons with disabilities.
Fifty percent of those who are eligible for the free basic water supply but still have no access, would be reached, including providing poor households in areas connected to the grid with up to 50kw of free basic electricity.
In non-grid areas, such households will be provided with a subsidy of up to 80 percent of the market cost to provide access to electricity systems.
‘We will pay similar attention to a comprehensive response to the health challenges facing our country,’ he said, adding this would take into consideration, problems of poverty eradication and better nutrition, lifestyles, observance of legal and social norms regarding road safety.
The social fabric within those communities living in poverty would also be considered, as well as the culture of observing treatment regimes regarding curable diseases such as TB.
Acknowledging that a lot of people were unable to benefit directly from whatever the economy offered, Mr Mbeki said this reflected the structural fault in the country’s economy and society.
The one is modern and relatively well developed while the other was characterised by underdevelopment and the entrenched crisis of poverty, the President said.
‘We have to respond to the needs of the fellow South Africans trapped in the latter society in a focussed and dedicated manner to extricate them from their condition. The expansion in social provision must reach this sector of our society, to relieve the poverty and suffering afflicting these masses of our people.’
But, accordingly government ought to act to reduce the number of people dependent on social welfare in accordance with the goal of enhancing the dignity of every South African.
On other issues of health, he said work would continue to eradicate Malaria in South Africa and countries in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region by 2007.
‘We will also further intensify the efforts to reduce the incidence of the leading killer disease, TB. Similarly, we will continue to focus treatment of sexually transmitted infections (STIs).’
Working together with the South African National HIV/AIDS Council (SANAC), President Mbeki said government would continue to implement the comprehensive strategy on HIV/AIDS, relating to all elements involved, including the implementation of the decisions of the Constitutional Court, which in 2001 recommended that government provide the anti-AIDS drug Nevirapine to pregnant HIV positive women in the public sector. –BuaNews
Delivering his State of the Nation Address in Parliament today, the last in the First Decade of Freedom, the President said ‘we must approach the Second Decade of Freedom (2004-2014) as one in which the tide of progress will sweep away the accumulated legacy of poverty and underdevelopment.’
‘The tide has turned. The people’s contract for a better tomorrow is taking shape,’ the President said.
President Mbeki said this year would see the further expansion of services to the people, as a result of successes made over the years to generate resources to address social needs.
To much applause he said the expansion this year of social services would cover a number of areas including old age and disability pensions as well as the child support grant, which would be extended to cover children up to the age of 14.
Among these would be the School Feeding Scheme, food and nutrition, education, health, water and electricity.
‘As we are extending unemployment insurance to workers that have previously been excluded, such as domestic, seasonal and agricultural workers, we urge all employers to ensure that their workers are properly registered,’ he said.
He added that the specific objective regarding all these interventions was to reach as many of the most vulnerable as possible.
To ensure an integrated approach to this matter of further expanding services, President Mbeki said this year would also see the completion of government’s work on a Comprehensive Social Security System, speeding up the establishment of the National Social Security Agency, as well as the Social Health Insurance.
Some of the measures would be taken in the context of government’s expanded service delivery, including the provision of free health care to persons with disabilities.
Fifty percent of those who are eligible for the free basic water supply but still have no access, would be reached, including providing poor households in areas connected to the grid with up to 50kw of free basic electricity.
In non-grid areas, such households will be provided with a subsidy of up to 80 percent of the market cost to provide access to electricity systems.
‘We will pay similar attention to a comprehensive response to the health challenges facing our country,’ he said, adding this would take into consideration, problems of poverty eradication and better nutrition, lifestyles, observance of legal and social norms regarding road safety.
The social fabric within those communities living in poverty would also be considered, as well as the culture of observing treatment regimes regarding curable diseases such as TB.
Acknowledging that a lot of people were unable to benefit directly from whatever the economy offered, Mr Mbeki said this reflected the structural fault in the country’s economy and society.
The one is modern and relatively well developed while the other was characterised by underdevelopment and the entrenched crisis of poverty, the President said.
‘We have to respond to the needs of the fellow South Africans trapped in the latter society in a focussed and dedicated manner to extricate them from their condition. The expansion in social provision must reach this sector of our society, to relieve the poverty and suffering afflicting these masses of our people.’
But, accordingly government ought to act to reduce the number of people dependent on social welfare in accordance with the goal of enhancing the dignity of every South African.
On other issues of health, he said work would continue to eradicate Malaria in South Africa and countries in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region by 2007.
‘We will also further intensify the efforts to reduce the incidence of the leading killer disease, TB. Similarly, we will continue to focus treatment of sexually transmitted infections (STIs).’
Working together with the South African National HIV/AIDS Council (SANAC), President Mbeki said government would continue to implement the comprehensive strategy on HIV/AIDS, relating to all elements involved, including the implementation of the decisions of the Constitutional Court, which in 2001 recommended that government provide the anti-AIDS drug Nevirapine to pregnant HIV positive women in the public sector. –BuaNews
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