National development plan to feature prominently at the Southern African metals and engineering indaba

3rd September 2018 By: Creamer Media Reporter

Six years ago, the Government adopted the National Development Plan (NDP), a blueprint for how South Africa could eradicate poverty and reduce inequality by 2030 – with business and other stakeholders enthusiastically welcoming the initiative.

While the NDP drew criticism from some labour formations, many other stakeholders – among them the business community – hailed it as a solid foundation upon which inclusive economic growth could be achieved.

But, six years on, just how much of the plan has been implemented to date – and just how relevant does it continue to be? That is the burning question that Minister in the Presidency Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, University of the Free State Visiting Professor JP Landman, Manufacturing Circle CEO Philippa Rodseth and Wits School of Governance Professor Patrick Bond will grapple with on the first day of the Fourth Southern African Metals and Engineering Indaba, which will take place on 20-21 September at the IDC Conference Centre in Sandton.

“The NDP and its 18 strategic infrastructure projects (SIPs) held much promise for the country, but not much seems to have been done in terms of the actual implementation and South Africa – embattled by slow growth, unemployment and a continually widening gap between the rich and the poor – does not seem to be on the trajectory to eradicating poverty and reducing inequality by 2030,” Steel and Engineering Industries Federation of Southern Africa (SEIFSA) CEO Kaizer Nyatsumba said.

He said that it is against this backdrop that SEIFSA, as the conference organizer, felt it necessary to provide a platform for policy makers and other stakeholders to meet and spell out what has been done, where the bottlenecks to implementation have been and what needs to be done to move forward.

“We remain of the view that, if implemented correctly, the NDP and its SIPs have the potential to help South Africa turn its economic fortunes around. The Government’s expenditure on the projects would revive industries such as the construction and our very own metals and engineering, which have been in doldrums for years. We, as the business community, stand ready to work with the Government to contribute towards the successful implementation of the plan,” Mr Nyatsumba said.

Other topics that will feature prominently on the 2018 Indaba agenda include:

President Cyril Ramaphosa is billed to deliver the opening address. Among the high-profile speakers expected to address the conference are: