Pretoria - The New Growth Path (NGP) is expected to identify areas where employment creation is possible on a large scale, said President of the ruling party, Jacob Zuma.
He was speaking during his annual January 8 statement on Saturday in Polokwane.
"We have a crisis of high unemployment in our country. It is only by enabling our people to free themselves from poverty, by providing decent and sustainable jobs and opportunities to become entrepreneurs that we will really bring about a better life for all.
"The ANC said in 2007 that the creation of jobs must be the central focus of our economic policies and this was translated into one of our manifesto priorities in 2009. As a result of this, we have put in place a New Growth Path," he said.
The plan aims to create five million jobs in the next 10 years in strategic areas of the economy, including the green economy, agriculture, mining, manufacturing and tourism industries.
Zuma said the NGP will develop a policy package that will facilitate employment creation in various areas through a comprehensive drive to enhance both social equity and competitiveness; systematic changes to mobilise domestic investment around activities that can create sustainable employment; and through strong social dialogue to focus all stakeholders on encouraging growth in employment-creating activities.
He said: "South Africa has already shown that we are capable of successfully driving massive infrastructure projects in preparing for the 2010 World Cup and we will now build on that experience to drive further projects in housing and other social areas.
"We will also make sure that these projects lead to more inclusive growth by meeting the needs of new industries and historically excluded communities. The ANC-led government will make sure that public procurement is used to support the domestic manufacturing sector, which should lead to more jobs being created in this sector."
He said the party would also continue exploring ways of unlocking the country's mining sector potential and to align the sector firmly with the country's economic transformation and development goals.
Public sector employment in the areas of health, education, policing, social services and community and public works programmes to improve service delivery and the quality of life, would also be explored, adding that all government departments will be required to put the appropriate programmes in place and establish the right environment for the creation of many decent and sustainable jobs.
"We will not be able to achieve our goals only through the State. We must unite our people behind the bold vision on jobs and draw on the collective energies of all South Africans to achieve that vision.
"We need a social partnership between government, business and labour in which we all commit to doing what is required to achieve these objectives. Such a pact must ensure that the benefits and sacrifices of the New Growth Path are shared equitably and that no one social partner is asked to bear disproportionate responsibility for this," Zuma said.
