GNU ministers outline immediate plans for departments
The newly appointed members of the executive of the Government of National Unity (GNU) outlined their plans following their swearing-in at the Cape Town International Convention Centre on Wednesday.
Several of the ministers are yet to be briefed by the departments’ directors-general and also receive handover reports from their predecessors.
Trade and Industry Minister Parks Tau said transformation was important to ensure equitable access to opportunities, ensuring redress in the economy and that broad-based economic empowerment was achieved. Among his priorities was to stabilise the department.
“There are a number of acting appointments,” Tau said. He added that he would focus on economic development and growth on the back of industrialisation, and on job creation.
“We need to increase our efforts with regards to industrialisation to ensure we grow our industries in the economy. Our efforts need to lead to the ability of the economy to create jobs.”
Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi said the National Health Insurance would be his priority. But he said his immediate priority was the hacking that took place at National Health Laboratory Science laboratories.
“It looks like it is an immediate crisis that needs to be resolved. I am sure I will be briefed about it (today),” he said.
Tourism Minister Patricia de Lille said she would ensure that tourism equity funds were disbursed to grow tourism businesses and spend on tourism infrastructure. De Lille said she would continue with her work to clean up Tourism SA, where she stopped sponsorship to Tottenham Spurs to the value of about R1 billion.
“I will continue to work with the Special Investigating Unit to clean Tourism SA,” she said.
Police Minister Senzo Mchunu said he was scheduled to have a “greet and meet” with the top brass of SAPS today and then another session to be apprised about the current situation in policing and the strategies being employed.
Mchunu said murder, rape, housebreaking and hijackings were among the top four crimes in the country.
Correctional Services Minister Pieter Groenewald identified corruption as one the main issues to address in his portfolio. “I do believe many of the employees of Correctional Services are honest and hard-working people. I am going to use them to ensure we stamp out corruption,” he said,
He noted that prisons were overcrowded, and said he would look at how the taxpayers’ money could be saved.
“The facilities must start to produce their food. They have agricultural land.
I will seriously look into that matter to save taxpayers’ money,” Groenewald said.
Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen said that his first port of call was to go all out to build partnerships within the sector, organised representatives of small emerging farmers and big commercial institutions. Steenhuisen described his portfolio as catalytic when it came to job creation.
Cape Times