ADDRESS BY DEPUTY PRESIDENT JACOB ZUMA, TO NEDLAC ANNUAL SUMMIT

Sandton Convention Centre

27 September 2003

Honourable Ministers,
The Executive Director of NEDLAC,
Representatives of our social partners,
Distinguished guests,

It is my pleasure to formally welcome you all to this occasion of the 2003 Annual Nedlac Summit.

I understand that this year's theme is the Implementation of the Growth and Development Summit Agreement and we look forward as always, to your thorough and robust deliberations in the commissions.

Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to begin by extending a warm welcome to our newly appointed NEDLAC Executive Director, Herbert Mkhize, who is no stranger to the corridors of NEDLAC or to the immense challenges facing social dialogue in our country.

We look forward to your contribution to making NEDLAC, and its secretariat, an effective 'vehicle' for inclusive policy making in our country.

I would also like to take the opportunity to bid farewell to the outgoing Executive Director, Philip Dexter, who has steered this ship in an outstanding manner. We wish him all the success in his new endeavours.

Colleagues, when the annals of our history are written, I think that the first ten years of our democracy shall be viewed with a sense of pride and achievement.

I say this because 10 years ago, no-one had a clear idea as to what would have happened by this time. We had policies, strategies and programmes which were clearly articulated, but these were still to be applied in practical conditions of governance.

The successes we have scored are a strong indicator that our policies, strategies and programmes were indeed correct.

The advances made in consolidating democracy and in improving the welfare of our people are considerable, although we would have obviously wanted to achieve much more than we have done.

Apart from a Constitution hailed as one of the best in the world, we have put in place institutions of governance and accountability that give true meaning to the dictum in the Freedom Charter which says "the people shall govern'.

In the context of a global economic downturn, our economy has demonstrated some resilience. We have also improved access to services remarkably. No less than a million houses have been built in the last ten years. Millions of people who were, hitherto, denied access to clean water now have access Many more households now have electricity.

No government has been able to achieve so much within such a short space of time in the history of this country. Another advantage is the confidence that our people have in us. Those who do not as yet have water and electricity and other needs, remain hopeful because they know that the intention is there on the part of government and these services will be forthcoming in time.

They have hope, unlike before our democracy, and can voice their feelings directly with the government or through institutions that represent them, such as NEDLAC.

The listing of achievements could go on and on but for today I wished merely to reaffirm the central role that NEDLAC, and our social partners, have played in our political, economic and social transformation since 1995, and the role that this institution still has to play.

Compatriots, recently, trade ministers gathered at Cancun, Mexico, under the auspices of the World Trade Organization (WTO). The meeting represented an opportunity for the world to address how the growing integration of our economies and societies could be made to reduce the extreme and widening gap between the rich and the poor.

We regret that a spirit of compromise could not be found amongst many of the countries that were represented at Cancun, as it is now a matter of historical record that the talks could not advance to the necessary and expected levels.

Accordingly, we note the concern of many who follow closely the discussions and debates on global economic governance and the world trading system; that a world characterized by the contradictory realities of extreme wealth and extreme poverty, side by side, is surely one that is not conducive to global peace, security, stability and sustainable development.

Similarly, we concur with the United Nations Development Programme in its latest Human Development Report, when it states "balance and stability in the world will require the commitment of all nations, rich and poor, and a global development compact to extend the wealth of possibilities to all people".

Indeed, more has to be done so that the inevitable process of 'globalisation' brings about opportunities and benefits to all, rather than to a few whilst worsening the conditions under which many continue to live.

None of us should be satisfied with the way things are, where virtually half the world are considered poor or live on less than R500 a month, and some one billion live on under one US dollar a day, which is about R7 a day. The irony about this matter is the calculation that a cow in the United Kingdom U-yes on four US dollars a day, or about R28 a day.

We certainly cannot agree with the argument of the developed countries that they need more time to deal with the matter of agricultural subsidies in their countries. This argument in reality is saying we should agree to delay the eradication of poverty in the developing world.

Certainly to the developed countries, these are matters of policy change, but to the developing world, they are matters of life and death.

As a result, increased efforts for the success of NEPAD, the Millennium Development Goals (MDG's), the World Commission on the Social Dimension of Globalisation, among other initiatives of international solidarity and social justice, should be welcomed and strengthened. NEDLAC, through its relevant chambers and various activities, must also become involved.

There are those who would correctly note that the picture we have painted of what is happening 'globally' is also a mirror of the challenges that we face as a country. However, it is heartening to see that as social partners we continue to rise to the occasion and know the spirit of compromise, as we engage in these crucial and critical matters which characterize the life and nature of our nation.

This is the year that we again saw that social partnership and social dialogue is a reality in our country and that it is one that offers "real" solutions to the problems facing our people.

I believe that the Growth and Development Summit, which NEDLAC successfully co-ordinated during the course of the year has been one of our greatest achievements this year, given the fact that the Summit addressed some of the most fundamental challenges facing our country at this point in time.

It was in 1999 that we first made the call for social partners to work together to ensure that South Africa remained a country at work for a better life for all.

We did not make this call lightly but it was born out of our belief that collective action was necessary for the challenge of socio-economic emancipation. just as it had been necessary for the political liberation for our people.

The GDS was a success because of our commitment and dedication as social partners.

We committed ourselves to among other things:

• Ensuring that there are more jobs, better jobs and decent work for all our people.
• Addressing the investment challenge,
• Advancing equity, developing skills, creating opportunities for all our people and extending basic services
• Engaging in local action and implementation of local economic development.

   

The challenge is now one of implementation. Through an enduring and lasting partnership that we have developed we must ensure that these commitments do not just remain on paper.

The GDS was never meant to conclude agreements on all the socio-economic problems that face us as a country.

It was not meant to be a solution for all-economic and development ailments we have inherited, but a strategic intervention aimed at addressing urgent matters that social partners have identified.

Indeed, this very nature of the GDS agreement accounts for its success as an agreement that was inclusive of all the social partners. We are hopeful that as social partners we will again begin to engage on other critical issues that could not be part of the GDS agreement.

We are confident that NEDLAC is the correct forum for these and many other complex policy issues that face us as a country.

Colleagues, on the eve of the 10 anniversary of our freedom, we have a lot to be proud of. We have managed to build a new nation and have made strides in building a better life for all, especially the poor and marginalized. However, many challenges remain.

One of those challenges is to ensure that all South Africans enjoy the economic benefits of the freedom and democracy we fought so hard for. We certainly have something to celebrate in our 10 anniversary, something to build on and undoubtedly, we have a lot to defend in our democratic country, together as social partners.

Let us all leave this Summit with a renewed sense of commitments to social dialogue and to NEDLAC. Let us dedicate ourselves to working even harder to make the next decade of freedom even more successful and remarkable than the first one.

I wish you fruitful deliberations and a successful outcome to this Summit.

I thank you.

The Presidency: Republic of South Africa