Pretoria – President Jacob Zuma has thanked the outgoing National Planning Commission (NPC) members for the sterling work they have done in successfully finalising the country’s National Development Plan (NDP).
“As a country and government, we owe these men and women a huge debt of gratitude for serving their country with distinction,” President Zuma said on Thursday.
President Zuma had a final meeting with the outgoing NPC members at the Union buildings to receive a close-out report and bid farewell to the members who were appointed in 2010 for a period of five years, which expires at the end of May.
“It is pleasing to know that they are South Africans of a high calibre who when called upon to undertake the national task, they did not hesitate, they came in and did their best.
“Thank you for the good work you have done. The work they have been doing has opened up other areas where they believe we need to do more, to refine, to harmonise but also to look at how the government can be assisted in aligning what it does with the report,” he said.
President Zuma said very few countries had successes of having a National Development Plan, which becomes a guide to action.
“I think for the first time we have a plan that is being followed by the national government, provincial government and local government.
“A plan that talks to how the country must be taken to prosperity,” he said.
President Zuma said the NDP was one of South Africa’s historic achievements.
When the commission was producing the NDP, it reached out to thousands of South Africans to solicit their views and endeavoured to ensure that its work is based on sound evidence.
“From the first document you produced, it was clear that you took your mandate very seriously.
“You did not present the country with a set of slogans. You presented well-researched facts which made it difficult for those whose work you criticised to disagree,” President Zuma said.
He thanked former Minister in the Presidency Trevor Manuel and the former Deputy Chairperson of the NCP, now Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa, for successfully leading the commission and ensuring its phenomenal success.
President Zuma also thanked the Minister for Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation, Jeff Radebe, the Chairperson of the National Planning Commission, who has the responsibility of ensuring that the NDP is implemented in government.
Minister Radebe is also tasked with promoting the NDP’s implementation across all sectors.
The Presidency said the outgoing commission is finalising a discussion document on planning.
“This document draws on the commission’s experience over the past five years, and international experiences to put forward a set of recommendations on how government planning should be done,” the Presidency said.
The implementation of the NDP is supported by the Medium Term Strategic Framework (MTSF) which has been adopted by government and is currently under implementation.
The Department of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation is overseeing the monitoring of the implementation of the plan and reports to Cabinet.
“Minister Radebe has called for nominations for the new NPC, whose members are appointed by the President. An announcement will be made in due course once all the processes have been completed,” the Presidency said. – SAnews.gov.za
