Oct 24, 2010 12:00 AM | By MOIPONE MALEFANE
President Jacob Zuma has called a special cabinet meeting to formulate a new growth path for the country.
President Jacob Zuma
The meeting in Pretoria tomorrow comes after months of criticism from Zuma's allies in Cosatu and the SA Communist Party unhappy at the government's failure to develop a new economic blueprint.
Zuma's decision to meet before the usual Wednesday session has fuelled speculation that he plans a cabinet reshuffle after his recent one-on-one meetings with ministers. But officials dismissed talk of a reshuffle and insist the meeting is on economic issues.
Cabinet spokesman Themba Maseko said the focus would be on an economic growth path.
At the ANC national general council meeting in Durban last month, Zuma said the new growth path had to help South Africa break with its long history of jobless economic growth.
"The new growth path must start with the recognition that, on the one hand, we have had economic growth for a sustained period since the advent of democracy...
"On the other hand, poverty remains high, inequalities have remained the same or even grown worse, while some of the jobs created often brought low wages and poor conditions," Zuma said.
He denied his government failed to produce a new growth path because of disagreements between economic-cluster, particularly finance minister Pravin Gordhan and his economic development counterpart Ebrahim Patel.
Tomorrow's meeting comes two days before Gordhan presents his medium-term budget policy statement to MPs.
ANC alliance leaders say skills, jobs, labour-intensive industry and poverty must be pillars of the new growth path.
Times Live
Comments by Sonny
Zuma is too weak to reshuffle his cabinet.
He has run out of popularity and 'golden handshakes!'
It time for him to run the gauntlet!
He is afraid of his own inner circle!
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