South African President Jacob Zuma said on Thursday that the July Cabinet lekgotla, which focuses on planning to inform the budgeting process, was conducted within a focus of an outcomes approach to improve service delivery in the country.

Speaking at a media briefing in Pretoria, he said that one of the key reasons for South Africa's success in hosting the 2010 FIFA World Cup was that the planning of the event was based on a similar outcomes approach.


The President noted that a significant legacy of the World Cup was the stadiums and other infrastructure that were erected before the event. This was the result of very definite planning and clear deadlines.

Zuma said that going forward, government would like to continue with the legacy of delivering on economic and social infrastructure.

Minister in the Presidency Collins Chabane told Engineering News Online that government would be working and coordinating the different levels of government and State-owned enterprises, to ensure the continued delivery of infrastructure in South Africa, and therefore also supporting economic growth within its borders.

Some of the current infrastructure programmes that would form part of the government's ‘Programme of Action' included: the Medupi power station, the recommissioning of the Komati power station, the Ingula pump-storage scheme, the Sere wind power project, solar power plants, the Mooi-Umgeni water transfer scheme, and the Crocodile Mokolo water augmentation project.

Further, the State also ensured the completion of the new petroleum pipeline, the completion of the Gautrain in 2011, and the expansion of the bus rapid transit system.

Chabane said that government planned to meet with the South African business sector to engage in discussion and to find a suitable strategy to "move as quickly as possible" on these projects.

Business, labour and government would also meet shortly to elaborate and develop an economic growth path document that was first drafted during the January lekgotla. One of the central considerations would be strategies to create employment on a large scale in the country.

Chabane said that certain growth- and employment-stimulating policies incorporated in the document included the Industrial Policy Action Plan, or IPAP2, the infrastructure-build programme, and a continuance of the expanded public works programme.

Strategies mentioned at the media briefing to improve the lives of citizens living in rural areas included: the expansion of commercial farming and agriprocessing opportunities to stimulate local and economic growth and employment, while also increasing the number of smallholding farms and their market share.

A parallel strategy of providing predictable income for the poor through work in a community work programme would also be intensified. The programme pays a wage to unemployed individuals who work on activities prioritised by the community, such as caring for the aged.

The President said that government would also aim to positively impact on the quality of lives of 400 000 households living in human settlements by 201,4 through the upgrading of informal infrastructure.

The drive would provide households with security of tenure, as well as access to essential services in sites, which were close to economic and other social amenities.

Other sectors covered in the latest outcome-based lekgotla meeting included: education, health, youth development, and crime prevention.

"National pride, and the inspiration to do more and achieve more is the primary legacy of the 2010 World Cup, and we intend to do this legacy proud," concluded Zuma.