The Government of National Unity has committed to proceeding with the work already underway to professionalise the public service as well as ensure that government attracts into the state people with skills, capabilities and integrity.

Delivering the Opening of Parliament Address in Cape Town, President Cyril Ramaphosa said one of the strategic priorities of the Government of National Unity was to build a capable, ethical and developmental state.

‘We will continue to fight corruption and prevent undue political interference in the administration of the state. In this administration, we will complete the work to restore the financial position and operational performance of our state-owned enterprises (SOEs).

‘We will complete the implementation of a new centralised ownership model for SOEs. This will improve accountability, transparency, governance and oversight, while reducing inefficiency and the potential for corruption,’ the President said on Thursday.

He said the establishment of a state-owned SOE hol
ding company will give South Africa greater capacity to build a sovereign wealth fund.

‘This has been done successfully by other countries whose sovereign wealth funds have built up capital from the high performance of the state owned enterprises rather than from the fiscus.’

Fighting crime

President Ramaphosa said in order to tackle crime and corruption, the country must have capable, sophisticated and independent law enforcement agencies that can fight complex and organised crime.

‘We will deploy modern technology to assist crime fighting. A data-driven approach will be used to identify violent crime hotspots and inform the allocation of policing resources alongside prevention measures,’ the President said.

Government will also continue to tackle priority crimes like illegal mining, gang violence, cash-in-transit heists and the construction mafia through specialised police units.

‘We will continue to implement the National Strategic Plan on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide, and expand victim support
services, like the Thuthuzela Centres and GBV desks in police stations,’ he said.

Work in the seventh administration will also prioritise driving inclusive growth and job creation as well as reducing poverty and tackling the high cost of living.

Source: South African Government News Agency