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Government promises 5 million jobs

THE government says it is all set to put the economy on a "new growth path" in a bid to create five million jobs in the next 10 years, and reduce unemployment from25 percent to 15 percent.

But its plan depends on business and organised labour reaching a pact of working well together, Economic Development Minister Ebrahim Patel told a media briefing at the Union Buildings in Pretoria yesterday.

"If we continue where every economic actor simply seeks to maximise his own short-term interests, then none of us in the long run will be able to achieve any of our own objectives. That must mean that their behaviour changes," he said.

Patel was flanked by his rural development counterpart Gugile Nkwinti and Minister of Performance Monitoring and Evaluation Collins Chabane.

Yet, the briefing turned into a damp squib after the ministers said they could not reveal the new growth path to the public until they had consulted organised business, labour and communities.

"I am not sure about the time frames but I am sure that once the social partners have been briefed the document will be available to the public," said Chabane.

Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan is expected to reveal more details of changes to macro-economic policy when he delivers his "mini-budget" today.

Chabane said highlights of the plan included "massive expansion" of water, transport, energy, communications and housing projects. This would create thousands of new jobs and also set up an infrastructure that would support more factories being built.

"The new growth path will seek to place the economy on a production led trajectory," he said.

Government aims to increase mining of precious minerals. Further education and training colleges in mining provinces will start new courses to train people for these jobs.

Agro-processing is another key feature. This is where small, inexpensive factories can be set up in rural areas to turn crops into other products that can be sold for a higher profit, the government announced.

It plans to create 300000 jobs in the "green economy" by 2020.

These jobs will be in building solar and wind power stations.

"In each of these areas, clear targets of jobs have been developed," said Chabane.

The plan relies heavily on big business being willing to invest in the government's plans.

Chabane ruled out an extra tax to fund the plans, saying that the plan did not rely on public funds.