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President Cyril Ramaphosa says government¡¦s priority is saving lives and
ensuring that it provides the necessary support within its means to prevent
more businesses from closing down and further job losses.
¡§With the pandemic showing no immediate signs of ending, businesses and
workers remain vulnerable,¡¨ President Ramaphosa said.
In his weekly newsletter, President Ramaphosa commended the social compacts
that government continues to forge with business and labour to buffer
workers and businesses from the pandemic¡¦s harsh economic impacts.
President Ramaphosa said there were promising indications that the economy
was steadily recovering in terms of growth and job creation in a number of
sectors, including manufacturing, mining and agriculture.
President Ramaphosa said in dealing with the pandemic, government had sought
to adopt an evidence-based approach in both policy and practice, considering
scientific research, clinical expertise and capabilities, and impact on all
sectors of the population.
¡§We have sought to have a balance between saving lives and preserving
livelihoods. We have sought to mitigate the impact of the successive
lockdown restrictions on people¡¦s livelihoods, or risk a second and possibly
worse epidemic of poverty and hunger in future.
¡§Through these interventions, we were able to mitigate the worst effects of
the pandemic, preventing the closure of many businesses and the loss of even
further jobs. They provided a firm foundation for the Economic
Reconstruction and Recovery Plan that we launched in October last year.¡¨
Government introduced the Presidential Employment Stimulus to provide income
and livelihood support to millions of beneficiaries.
Through the stimulus, over 300 000 young people have been placed as school
assistants.
More than 100 000 subsistence farmers are registered on the first-ever
database of its kind, where they have access to technical support.
More than 30 000 young people have been given opportunities in the cultural,
creative and sports sectors.
President Ramaphosa said young professionals had been given opportunities in
infrastructure development, healthcare, environmental conservation and a
number of other sectors.
¡V Source: SAnews.gov.za |
