Job creation, the country’s energy challenge, and economic growth should be top priorities for the upcoming government lekgotla, according to governance expert and managing director of DTM Consulting, Dr. Tim Maake.
After three weeks of intensive negotiations on cabinet positions and the subsequent swearing-in of cabinet ministers, eleven political parties in the government of national unity (GNU) will meet to discuss policy directions.
Maake says political parties will need to consolidate their election manifestos at the lekgotla.
“Instead of disregarding what the other political parties have said in their manifestos they’ll need to firstly engage vigorously on that so that they agree as to what are those aspects which they find to be common amongst themselves and having gone through all the manifestos of all political parties there were areas that were common across all political parties. What could be the difference would be the modalities of executing those manifestos.”
The 7th administration begins amid a peak unemployment crisis and low economic growth. Maake states that immediate priorities should be stabilising the energy supply, fostering economic growth, intensifying the fight against corruption, and enhancing international relations. He also notes that the GNU can only succeed with visionary leadership.
GNU | Ramaphosa, new ministers to hold first Cabinet lekgotla to discuss policies
“So it will require them to display what I normally call political maturity. Political maturity in a sense that now that they’ve been sworn in as parliamentarians, they no longer represent their political parties but they represent the interest of the South African citizens and they’ve got an obligation to adhere to the constitution. That is key and central for me,” added Maake.
Concerns have been raised about potential challenges on policy positions. However, Minister in the Presidency, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, says the National Development Plan (NDP) will be used to address these challenges.
Ntshavheni explains, “Because you’ve got these requirements that say you cannot have all these priorities including what then becomes a filter of the priorities. We have indicated that our filter is the national development goals.
“So if it doesn’t help us achieve the goals of the National Development Plan, it cannot be part of the competing priorities. And why is the NDP important is because the 7th administration is the administration that is important because it will help achieve Vision 2030 of a better South Africa for all.”
The first cabinet lekgotla of the 7th administration is expected to sit towards the end of the coming week at a venue yet to be confirmed.
