FORMER president Thabo Mbeki has clarified his comments about President Cyril Ramaphosa’s failure to deliver on a social compact within 100 days.
Mbeki has been widely criticized for his comments within government, business and governing party circles.
The former head of state made these comments during his speech at the Jessie Duarte’s memorial service in Johannesburg. At the memorial service, Mbeki warned of an Arab Spring-like moment for South Africa unless the government addressed poverty and inequality. He told an audience that included Ramaphosa, that despite the current president’s pledge, “nothing had happened.”
However, Mbeki said at the weekend that his comments were aken out of context, adding that he wasn’t condemning Ramaphosa at all.
“What I was saying was, we talk about correctly challenges of poverty, unemployment, inequality…when is the plan to address to address those issues? The vision is there, but when is the detailed plan to realise the vision,” said Mbeki in an interview with eNCA.
“I was saying that president Ramaphosa realising that, that thing thing is not in place, he then says social partners must get together and address this issues and finish by in 100 days…it’s calling on social partners, he can’t implement that,” he said.
During his opening address on Friday, Ramaphosa used the ANC’s sixth national policy conference to hit back at Mbeki who criticised him for not fulfilling promises he made in his state of the nation address in February.
“We are continuing to put together the social compact, despite delays, despite challenges and I know that a number of us are continuing to be frustrated, to be disappointed with us not being able to conclude this,” said Ramaphosa on Friday.
Ramaphosa said that one of the tasks this conference has, is to build and implement a durable social compact for growth and transformation.
“This was a clear directive from the 54th national conference and was identified in our January 8 statement that this must be one of the foremost tasks of this year,” he said.
“But, there are challenges … and it’s wonderful we are here at this conference. This conference must also address itself to some of those challenges which will also be outlined in some of the commissions that we are going to have.”
“Because we will not be able to emerge from this crisis unless all parts of society are involved in developing clear plans and actions of how we can implement a social compact.”
“We have several examples in the recent past where we have agreed on common programmes to address common challenges.”
In his State of the Nation Address in February, Ramaphosa announced 100 days for a new social compact to be agreed, with the aim of getting all South Africans to join hands in dealing with joblessness, poverty and inequality.
The discussions are also expected to look at structural reforms in the energy, transport, digital migration and water sectors.
INSIDE POLITICS
