President Jacob Zuma on Thursday vowed to make use of all the country’s resources to pull it out of its technical recession.

South Africa functioned best during such a crisis, he said while receiving letters of credence from ambassadors and high commissioners at the Presidential Guest House in Pretoria.

Government and the private sector would discuss ways of recovering and reigniting confidence in the economy.

"We pull together and use all skills and resources to fight the problem," he said.

On Tuesday, Statistics SA said the country has slipped into a recession after its gross domestic product declined 0.7% during the first quarter of 2017, after contracting by 0.3% in the fourth quarter of 2016.

"We are committed to continue building an inclusive and resilient economy as envisioned in our national development plan (NDP)," Zuma said.

The plan was intended to strengthen relations with other countries, build a resilient South African economy and end poverty and unemployment.

He told his audience he was certain their presence in South Africa would help achieve this. He acknowledged it would be a mammoth task given sluggish global growth.

However, the economy remained stable and conducive to investment.

"Our strong institutions and governance structures also support this stability," he said.

Ambassadors of the United Arab Emirates, Benin, Turkey, Poland, Swaziland, the United Kingdom, Tanzania, and Jordan were in attendance.