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JOHANNESBURG.
South African President Jacob Zuma yesterday promised to create jobs, improve social services and fight corruption in government as he appealed for support in municipal elections.
At the launch of the ruling African National Congress’ election manifesto, Zuma also called for the need to fight racial inequalities, still present in the country 17 years after apartheid ended.
“While we’ve achieved a lot, there is clearly much more that needs to be done,” he told thousands of supporters gathered in the Royal Bafokeng stadium in Rustenburg.
He appealed to the country’s poor to vote for the ANC despite the slow pace of the government’s delivery of improved infrastructure and services and promised the government would step up its efforts to improve their lives. The ANC has faced violent protest for failing to deliver running water, electricity, basic education and healthcare to the masses of poor in the years the party has been in power since the end of apartheid. Zuma said the party would ensure officials put in place in local government were “accountable . . . efficient and competent” and said he would fight corruption in government ranks.
Job creation took centre stage in his speech as he called on every government department to help create jobs in Africa’s biggest economy in which unemployment has lingered at about 25 percent for years. With municipal elections in the second quarter, the budget plan presented last week also underlined the heavy pressure faced by the ANC to spend more on job creation and social welfare. – Reuters.