The cabinet is reviewing and recalibrating time frames in its growth and inclusion strategy (Gain) document, examining which targets can be fast-tracked while tackling implementation shortfalls, says minister in the presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni. Ministers are assessing progress achieved againstset targetsand identifying weaknesses where goals have not been met. The new targets and time frames are likely to be announced by President Cyril Ramaphosa during the opening of parliament in February.
The minister said the cabinet lekgotla is exploring whether certain targets can be revised downwards or fast-tracked and brought forward. She specifically mentioned the electricity sector, noting that electricity & energy minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa has set numerous targets that are now under review alongside broader economic targets and time frames. “We are checking the progress we have achieved and what are the failures or weaknesses where we have not achieved all the targets, and therefore, how do we improve and recalibrate ourselves?” she said.
The Gain document, first discussed by the cabinet in 2025, sets an ambitious target of achieving 3.5% economic growth by 2030. The framework identifies critical reforms, including completing Eskom’s restructuring, opening freight rail networks, enabling private investment in electricity transmission and water infrastructure and supporting small businesses through improved capital access. Ntshavheni defended the country’s economic performance, particularly the stabilisation of the rand.
Read Full Article on Business Day
[paywall]
“There are those who want to claim that it has stabilised because of the problems in the US. No, it has stabilised because of the fiscal management in the country,” she said. This fiscal performance, she explained, informs discussions about the fiscal envelope available for prioritising and funding government initiatives.
The two-day lekgotla, which started on Wednesday, is also deliberating on industrial policy as part of the growth strategy. “We’ll also discuss the industrial policy of the country to say, ‘How do we, as part of this growth, drive what is the industrial policy that will then be anchoring that growth plan?’” Ntshavheni said.
[/paywall]
