Yusuf Moolla and Sapa
SOUTH Africa had met the challenges of 2011 with “fortitude and innovation”, President Jacob Zuma said in his end-of-year speech yesterday.
Dubbed “the Year of Job Creation”, Zuma said the expanded public works programme had provided business opportunities for 280 000 people and more than 80 000 job opportunities.
In improving the performance of the state, he would continue monitoring visits to provinces with the Performance Monitoring and Evaluation Department.
Co-operation with provincial administrations had been improved due to regular meetings with premiers and local government representatives.
While statistics on violent crimes had declined, “the figures tell us not to let our guard down”, said Zuma.
The year saw a 5.75 percent drop in violent crime.
Police arrested 149 659 people for contact crimes, down from 151 187 the previous year.
The year saw 22 proclamations being issued. These authorised the Special Investigating Unit to conduct investigations, most relating to procurement irregularities.
He said the HIV counselling and testing campaign had reached 13 million and eight million people respectively for HIV and TB screening.
Social grants – now reaching 15 million individuals – were the “cornerstone of the fight against poverty”.
Zuma lauded Durban’s recent hosting of the UN Climate Change Conference as “a coup for our country and our continent”.
He said SA would continue to play a role in supporting peace in the two Sudan states, assisting the countries with “development, institution and capacity building”.
An agreement had been signed with Mozambique to improve maritime security in the Southern African Development Community’s Indian Ocean waters.
Zuma said Libya was a “key challenge” for 2011. SA had made “principled and consistent” efforts to resolve the situation, despite the “misuse” of the UN’s Resolution 1973, which was meant to protect civilians.
Zuma believed he still had a strong a bond with Cosatu. “We are close, but there are issues. I am happy if they raise issues, so we know what matters we are dealing with.”
Zuma praised the work done by Public Protector Thuli Madonsela’s office, saying it had done well in bringing important issues to light.
There would never be a time when the government would tell Madonsela to slow down these efforts.
Zuma said he had launched an inquiry into the arms deal because it was important to get to the truth.
He said he had no regrets about the appointments of Menzi Simelane as national director of public prosecutions and Mogoeng Mogoeng as chief justice, saying both had exemplary records.
Zuma said former judge Willem Heath had resigned as head of the Special Investigating Unit, saying that he could not do the job.
