With the successful implementation of Phase I of Operation Vulindlela, government is building on this work and advancing further structural reforms to drive more rapid and inclusive growth.
Operation Vulindlela is a joint initiative between the Presidency and National Treasury to accelerate the implementation of structural reforms to enable economic growth and job creation.
In its first phase, the reform programme focused on five area, namely energy, logistics, water, telecommunications, and the visa system, which were identified as the most important constraints on economic growth.
“We have made significant progress in advancing the reform agenda in each of these areas, and almost all of the reforms included in Phase I are either completed or on track,” Deputy Minister of Finance, Dr David Masondo, said on Thursday in Johannesburg the Rand Merchant Bank Think Summit 2025.
The next phase of Operation Vulindlela will unleash a second wave of reform targeting new areas of growth.
These new focus areas include improving the performance of local government, addressing spatial inequality through housing policy and other reforms, and advancing digital transformation.
“These reforms include establishing ring-fenced and professionally managed utilities to deliver water, electricity and waste services in metros in order to ensure that the revenue earned from those services is reinvested in infrastructure and in the upgrading and maintenance of assets.
“They also include a radical shift in housing policy, away from a supply-driven model of providing fully constructed houses on the urban periphery and towards a demand-driven model, with subsidies for home ownership and affordable rentals.
“This will give people more choice and enable them to live closer to areas of economic opportunity, while stimulating investment in property development in our inner cities,” he said.
It will include a rapid rollout of digital public infrastructure, such as digital identity and payments to enable economic activity and improve access to government services, through the Digital Transformation Roadmap which, the Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies launched earlier this week.
READ | Digital Transformation Roadmap to make it easier to access government services
The roadmap sets out a focused plan to modernise the delivery of government services through investment in digital public infrastructure.
These crucial digital reforms will enable all citizens to access seamless government services through a single trusted platform. This will be driven through improvements in identity verification, real-time payments, and data exchange.
“We all agree that profound economic reform is required to achieve a higher level of growth and restore confidence in our economy. Operation Vulindlela is the key to delivering on this reform agenda and to achieving a virtuous cycle of confidence, growth and jobs,” the Deputy Minister said.
Government has built a strong and capable team to drive the reform agenda within the Presidency and National Treasury, and are drawing on the expertise and capability that exists within the private sector. - SAnews.gov.za
