Manifesto 2004

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January 2004

A People's Contract to Create Work and Fight Poverty

Introduction

Throughout its 92 years of existence, the African National Congress has put the interests of all the people of South Africa at the top of its agenda.

Having united the overwhelming majority of South Africans in struggle, the possibility was created in 1994 for us to work together practically to construct a society that cares. Democracy and equality before the law are entrenched in our constitution. Women, workers, youth, professionals, people with disabilities, traditional leaders, religious communities, business people and rural communities, all have the right to utilise opportunities that have come with freedom.

Our First Ten Years of Freedom have been ten years of growing unity in action; ten years of peace and stability; ten years of increasingly making resources in the hands of the state available to uplift disadvantaged South Africans; ten years of expanding opportunities to build a better life for all.

What should we work to achieve in the Second Decade of our Freedom?

We must intensify our efforts to provide services and opportunities such as water and sanitation, health, electricity, housing and education to those South Africans who still do not have them. While expanding our economic base, we must ensure that the country's wealth, business opportunities, skills training and other opportunities are more equitably shared by all our people, irrespective of race, gender, disability and age differences.

We must radically reduce the levels of unemployment and poverty, by combining the resources of the public and private sectors in building an economy that benefits all.

We must improve the security of all South Africans and make life more and more difficult for criminals as well as crooks in private companies and government structures who steal and cheat. We must build a healthier nation, with programmes to defeat malnutrition, TB, malaria and other diseases and turn the tide against HIV and AIDS.

Celebrating Freedom, Celebrating South Africa

On 27 April 2004, we celebrate a South Africa that belongs to all who live in it. The change that has happened 10 years ago was as a result of struggles and sacrifices led by the ANC. It was change that created an opportunity for us to chart our future together. We can now do more, united in a people's contract to create work and fight poverty.

Today, South Africa is a democratic country with a government based on the will of all the people. It has South Africa has a growing economy, managed with skill by the ANC government. It has a caring government, with housing programmes for the poor; with social security grants for pensioners, young children, people with disabilities and other vulnerable groups; with programmes to redistribute land; with quality education open to all and other new opportunities for the youth; with clinics being built close to where people live; with households being connected to water and electricity; with more people having access to telecommunications; and with laws to deal with the cancer of racism.

Today, South Africa is a country with a justice system that serves the people, guided by the Constitution and laws which are intended to prevent abuse. It is a partner among countries of Africa, working together to bring peace and development to our continent.

Social services to the people have improved. Government equitably distributes R34-billion in social grants to more than 7-million beneficiaries: the aged, young children in poor households, people with disabilities and others.

Our Constitution and laws guarantee equal rights for all South Africans. The programme to provide housing, electricity, water and health care has been expanded to more South Africans. The police, justice and other security agencies have been changed to serve all South Africans, and they are making progress against crime. South Africa has become a full and active member of the global family of nations.

We have made massive progress. However much, much more still needs to be done. At the heart of our challenges are two linked concerns - we must create work and roll back poverty. These two core objectives are the major focus of our programmes for the Second Decade of Freedom. To achieve this we need stronger partnership among all South Africans, A people's contract for a better South Africa.

Why a People's Contract?

Many of the things that need to be done cannot be carried out by government acting alone. Government can promote the values of the Constitution and create laws to protect citizens' rights. It can call for respect and better treatment of people by civil servants. But individual citizens, communities, trade unions and other organisations need to help monitor and report violation of rights. We need as citizens to claim our rights and demand better treatment in government offices.

Government can create an environment for higher rates of investment. It can create some employment in the public service and public works programmes; and it can encourage labour-intensive methods in parts of the economy. But long-term employment depends largely on higher rates of private investment; it depends on strategies for growth in key sectors of the economy; it depends on joint skills development and learnerships in both the public and private sectors to provide work experience.

The ANC commits itself, working within communities and within government, to play its part in forging this people's contract for a better South Africa, inspired by its commitment to democratic consultation, mass participation and volunteerism, moral regeneration as well as people-centred and people-driven development.

Vision 2014

We aim, during the second decade of democracy, to work together with the people to:

• Reduce unemployment by half through new jobs, skills development, assistance to small businesses, opportunities for self-employment and sustainable community livelihoods
• Reduce poverty by half through economic development, comprehensive social security, land reform and improved household and community assets
• Provide the skills required by the economy, build capacity and provide resources across society to encourage self-employment with an education system that is geared for productive work, good citizenship and a caring society
• Ensure that all South Africans, including especially the poor and those at risk - children, youth, women, the aged, and people with disabilities - are able fully to exercise their constitutional rights and enjoy the full dignity of freedom
• Compassionate government service to the people; national, provincial and local public representatives who are accessible; and citizens who know their rights and insist on fair treatment and efficient service
• Position South Africa strategically as an effective force in global relations, with vibrant and balanced trade and other relations with countries of the South and the North, and in an Africa that is growing, prospering and benefiting all Africans, especially the poor.

The next five years

In the next five years, the ANC government will pay particular attention to the following programmes:

A Growing Economy

• Ensure low interest and low inflation rates, as well as low government debt so that more resources are spent on attacking poverty, building economic infrastructure and creating work opportunities.
• Take more and more young people through learnerships so they can gain skills and work experience for them to access jobs; and intervene to ensure proper functioning of skills development authorities.
• Create 1 million job opportunities through the Expanded Public Works Programme.
• Spend over R15-billion to facilitate broad-based Black Economic Empowerment, which benefits communities.
• Intensify assistance to youth agencies such as Umsobomvu Fund to provide skills training for employment and self-employment, ensure implementation of the National Youth Service and assist unemployed graduates to get work skills.
• Ensure involvement of communities in local economic development initiatives to provide work, build community infrastructure and ensure access to local opportunities, and encourage the emergence of co-operatives.

Access to services

• Speed up programmes to provide water and sanitation, electricity and telephone services to those who are not yet connected.
• Build more subsidised housing, introduce medium density housing closer to places of work, and provide serviced stands to those who have not yet received houses.
• Improve health services, and promote awareness on, and provide comprehensive care, management and treatment of HIV and AIDS.
• Ensure all children have decent classrooms and improve spending in favour of students from poor households.
• Realise Batho Pele principles and improve services in government offices, through electronic means and by working with citizens to monitor those who work in these offices.

Comprehensive Social Security

• Ensure that all who are eligible for social grants, including poor children up to 14 years of age, receive these grants, which keep pace with inflation.
• Introduce a national health insurance system so that all citizens are covered by both the public and private health system which they can afford.
• Speed up the programme to provide free basic water and electricity.
• Speed up the extension of free health services to persons with disabilities.

Crime and Corruption

• Deploy more than 150,000 police in active duty, with better training, better management and more effect community liaison.
• Strengthen the prosecution system and the Scorpions, improve coordination among all law-enforcement agencies and set up additional special courts.
• Ensure efficient functioning of all anti-corruption structures and systems.

Constitutional rights and governance

• Improve interaction between government and the people through accountable public representatives, one-stop government centres, izimbizo and use of electronic government services. Improve access to government information so that citizens are aware of their rights and take advantage of opportunities provided by democracy, and ensure progressive realisation of rights of persons with disabilities.

Africa and the world

• Improve co-operation among countries of the South, in terms of economic relations, socio-political programmes and efforts to ensure peace and equitable global relations. We will strengthen co-operation among economic partners - government, business, trade unions and community organisations - to implement agreements of the Growth and Development Summit which are aimed at creating work and fighting poverty.
• Strengthen South Africa's Early Warning Mechanism on Africa and dedicate more resources to ensure that we contribute more effectively to the efforts on our continent to prevent and urgently resolve conflict.

Over the past ten years, working together, we have built South Africa into a land of peace and harmony, a land of expanding opportunities. Working with you in People's Contract to Create Work and Fight Poverty, we are confident of success.