OPINION: Even before taking office, the president understood that one of the greatest threats facing our country from attaining its priorities was the lack of coordination in government.
By Michael Currin
On 9 February, President Cyril Ramaphosa delivered his fifth State of the Nation Address since the 2019 general elections. The address was an important platform for the President to account to Parliament and the nation on how we are progressing in improving the lives of all South Africans.
This event also marked the opening of the Parliament, which continues to unite the nation and heal the wounds of the past.
Even before taking office, the President understood that one of the greatest threats facing our country from attaining its priorities was the lack of coordination within government. The National Planning Commission, which developed the National Development Plan, underscored this lack of coordination in its diagnosis of the country.
In this regard, Ramaphosa declared his commitment to empower the Presidency to lead the coordination role in the implementation of the programmes of government. Since taking office, the President has lived up to this commitment to help the state to run efficiently through better coordination. For instance, he appointed Dr Kgosientso Ramokgopa as head of the Investment and Infrastructure Office in the Presidency, as well as business leader Sipho Nkosi to lead a team in the Presidency to eliminate red tape that hinders business growth.
This year’s State of the Nation Address, saw Ramaphosa announce that he would appoint a Minister of Electricity in the Presidency to oversee all aspects of the electricity crisis response, including the work of the National Energy Crisis Committee. During the address, he explained the rationale of some of these decisions including the process of restructuring government that will be addressed in due course. “This is necessary because an effective response to this crisis involves several different departments and entities that require coordination from the centre of government”, he said.
It is unfortunate that some have portrayed this well intended initiative to take the lead in coordinating the work of government by the Presidency as “centralising power” or “circumventing ministers”. This is far from the truth. Rather, this administration has consistently showed that it is willing to take tough decisions necessary to get things done and that means ensuring that government is more efficient and faster in responding to the needs of citizens.
The main focus of The Presidency is to give direction and substance to integrated government service and unleashing all the capabilities to be found both in the state, through establishing partnerships across society to build a capable and developmental state.
The enormity of this responsibility must be backed with accountability to ensure that we deliver on the electoral mandate especially as we target our ambitious NDP Vision 2030 objectives.
We know that with better coordination, we will be able to promote coherence and improve the operational performance and governance of the state. We are also responding to concerns of the people of this country who want action now and not tomorrow. For years, they have been saying we have some of the best policies in the world but we need to improve our implementation.
The Presidency is working with departments on a number of projects and has confidence in all the Ministers that are appointed by the President. The Minister in the Presidency plays a key role in anchoring and overseeing a number of these critical interventions to ensure we sustain the necessary momentum. In fact, we have made substantial progress in implementing a number of the projects that are coordinated from the Presidency. Since the appointment of Dr Ramokgopa as head of the Investment and Infrastructure Office in the Presidency, South Africa’s infrastructure drive to revitalise the economy and create employment has been gaining momentum.
A number of infrastructure projects introduced as part of our Economic Reconstruction and Recovery Plan have kicked off and are at an advanced stage of construction in various parts of the country. The Infrastructure Fund is now working with State Entities to prepare a pipeline of projects with an investment value of approximately R96bn in student accommodation, social housing, telecommunications, water and sanitation. Several catalytic projects to the value of R21bn (R2,6bn by government and the rest by private sector and developmental finance institutions) began in 2022.
The country has also shown itself as an investment destination of choice, attracting some of the world’s top businesses to expand their operations in the country. The 4th SA Investment Conference in 2022, secured investment commitments worth R332bn. About R300bn of investment commitments from prior years have already been realised. South Africa has attracted more than R1.14 trillion worth of investment commitments through the South African Investment Conference, which represents 95% of our initial target. Of the 152 investment announcements made previously, 45 projects have already been completed, while a further 57 projects are currently under construction.
With regard to reducing red tape, the dedicated capacity in the Presidency is making progress. This includes work to ensure that government departments pay suppliers within 30 days. Although much work still remains, South Africans can be assured that we are committed to address service delivery with urgency and to come up with solutions to challenges the people of this country face. Therefore, the classification of a National State of Disaster and the subsequent declaration is a strategic intervention to enable government to respond more effectively to the electricity crisis.
It brings together all government resources and augments existing measures to deal with our electricity supply constraints. It allows for strong central coordination and decisive action to be taken in implementing our energy interventions. Government is confident that through the declaration of a National State of Disaster, we will rebuild the country’s energy sector. In doing so we can create jobs, get our economy back on track and achieve economic dignity for all South Africans.
* Michael Currin is the Acting Director General of Government Communication and Information System (GCIS) and Acting Cabinet Spokesperson