A bold Plan for South Africa

The Union Building, Pretoria.

Everything Trevor Manuel touches seems to turn to gold. The Minister in The Presidency has had a glittering career as a member of cabinet, first as Minister of Labour then as a colourful Minister of Finance, where he really seemed to come into his own and now as Minister in the office of The Presidency in charge of National Planning.

After months of speculation about his role in this portfolio, recently Manuel, as Chairman of the National Planning Commission, released the details of a plan aimed at turning around the fortunes of the country. I'm not going to bore you with the details of the plan except to say that it is bold and well-considered under Manuel's stewardship. In my opinion, the NPC is by far the single most important portfolio in government today because unlike most other cabinet portfolios which are largely focused on the here and now, the NPC's focus is long-term in nature. Through its recently released plan, the NPC has clearly outlined a vision of what South African society should look like by 2030 and it is now the role of other government departments to help implement this plan.

The real challenge and the test of political will, will be in the implementation of the plan. Now all of South Africa is watching you, Minister Manuel and I personally wish you all of the best.

Our Politicians must demonstrate some will.