Keyword: National Development Plan

NDP Inadequate to the Task of Addressing South Africa's Inequality

Picture: Trevor Manuel, Minister of the National Planning Commission, responsible for the development of the National Development Plan courtesy World Economic Forum/flickr. Ebrahim-Khalil Hassen - “A rising tide lifts all boats.” This aphorism means that in a growing economy everyone benefits, and by extension that government’s role is to focus on the macroeconomic environment. Moreover, it suggests that distributional changes occur after economic growth. In the days following the end of the cold war, this was the conventional wisdom emerging from the World Economic Forum. Today, that singular faith in the power of economic growth is fraying, even at Davos....

How Our Government Should Plan & Budget for Our Future in an Era of Uncertainty

Picture: IMF & National Planning Commission Saliem Fakir - A sign of a government that cares about its citizens is reflected by the degree of effort it puts into thinking about the future rather than just the demands of the present. As South Africans we are not there yet, but we may be getting there soon. In October 2012, the National Treasury is looking to publish a document on long-term fiscal planning (LTFP). The idea was first mooted by Minister of Finance, Pravin Gordhan, in his October 25, Medium Term Budget Policy Speech last year. It...

The National Development Plan will End Poverty in South Africa by 2030 - Really?

Picture: http://www.myspace.com/johanna123 Ebrahim-Khalil Hassen - Mzansi 2030: The clarion call within the ruling party congress is “Masupatsela.” The report from the secretariat is depressing. It tells us that once upon a time, an astute minister with a talented bunch of advisors and bureaucrats dreamed of a South Africa in which unemployment was 6%, no one lived in poverty and the poorest 40% were getting a greater share of total income. Unfortunately, we are not living happily ever after, in terms of its development indicators; South Africa...