A Five-Year Programme of Tangible Action

Mission

Over the next five years, SNP aims to build trust and instil a sense of renewed hope and belonging for all South Africans by effectively remedying and correcting the current administrations’ poor record of governance, high levels of ineptitude, corruption, malfeasance, unresponsiveness and the sheer arrogance in the management of State Affairs. 

The SNP has identified the following areas critical areas that it will prioritise over the next five-year period.

Education

SNP will, during the next five years,

• Introduce feasible and practical solutions to improve the education system in its entirety so that every child and learner has a good chance of achieving the minimum educational level of matric;

• Vigorously pursue the provision of free quality education for all at all levels including pre-schooling;

• Improve access to learning institutions for all;

• Ensure safety and security in all learning environments; SNP Practical Solutions:

• Reprioritise educational funding;

• Launch a national programme of recalling retired educators and those wishing to re-enter the profession;

• Embark on a recruitment drive of unemployed qualified educators;

• Build, renovate and fully resource schools;

• Appoint qualified and experienced heads of schools with solid proven track records in education;Security in schools will be evaluated and upgraded in high-risk areas;

• Educators will receive relevant ongoing ‘on-the-job’ training;

• Review the current system of primary and secondary education;

• Revive teacher training colleges;

• Introduce remedial teachers in the education system.

• Introduce health professionals to provide basic health services schools.

• Remunerate them appropriately, appreciate them and create sound working conditions for educators;

The Economy

SNP believes that our sluggish economy must be kick-started to get it going and smart initiatives will be determined and decided upon to draw investment both locally and internationally in order to secure much needed jobs in the various sectors of our economy.

SNP will introduce and embark on a National Economic Stimulus Package.

The National Economic Stimulus Package:

• Reduce company tax to 26%;

• Special tax rates will be introduced and will apply to business expansions and business investments of over R200 000 000 (million);

• Will establish tax exempted Free Trade Economic Zones in identified, indigent and high unemployment areas throughout South Africa;

• Create a Small Business Special Fund to assist small business set-ups and expansions;

• Embark on a viable National Public Infrastructure Development Programme across the country – roads, dams, bridges, etc. This amounts to increased government spend on infrastructure that is beneficial to the country...and not an increase in spend on state employees;

• Incentivise large labour absorption initiatives through tax breaks (to be determined)

• Develop and implement a ‘domestic purchasing alternative’ as opposed to importation of goods;

• Introduce a limited period of Amnesty for tax dodgers;

Land

SNP will:

• Expropriate vacant government owned land;

• Expropriate dormant government owned farms in and around urban areas for the purposes of providing decent housing and establishing industries close to residents;

• Approach corporates who own large tracts of land with a view for negotiations on acquisition thereof;

• Adequately protect Urban Farming Operations in order to ensure affordable commodity prices/goods for the urban populations;

• Give opportunities to new entrants into the agricultural economy by providing the land;

• Not expropriate progressive operational farms anywhere in the country.

• Municipalities will be required to revise their Integrated Development Plans (IDPs) to accommodate the pressing need for land;

• Largely, land in and around urban nodes will be primarily utilised for housing and industrial purposes;

• Not tolerate land grabs of any sort;

Housing

SNP will;

• Expropriate abandoned, dilapidated and moribund buildings and convert these into affordable housing units within and around urban areas;

• Introduce workable and progressive indigent policies aimed at empowering poor people through property ownership;

• Introduce an affordable housing system where all workers irrespective of earnings can afford to purchase a home;

• Eradicate all squatter camps and replace with formal housing within set time periods;

• Set up Special Purpose Vehicles (SPVs) between government and the private sector that is aimed at addressing the backlog in housing units – this will require funding (to be determined) from government and partners.

• Terminate the system of “rental stock” utilized by municipalities – renters will become owners with title deeds.

Social Security

SNP will:

Investigate a new pension benefit for all persons of the age of 60 years and above who do not have any income from any source such as retirement funds and other investments –

Note:

• It is important that these folks be acknowledged for their contributions, in whatever role, in the building up our country.

• Child benefits will be revisited;

• Introduce tough checks and balances and vigorous processes of vetting to eliminate corruption and false claims;

• Mentally Challenged persons will be taken care of by the State in professionally managed and upgraded state institutions – where necessary new institutions will be built;

• Investigate the feasibility of living increase in social security benefits for physically challenged persons who by virtue of their condition cannot be productive in the economy;

• Appoint more Social Workers;

• Appoint Social Security Benefit Inspectors;

State Departments

SNP will:

• Critically examine the mandate and operations of all state department and adjust/align if necessary;

• Right-size all departments – too many staff doing nothing at very high salaries;

• Appoint qualified, experienced and visionary managers and directors – the system of cadre deployment will not apply;

• Review all employment contracts, tenders, agreements and the like to ensure clean administration;

• Dysfunctional and moribund departments will be scrapped;

• Introduce stringent and innovative systems and measures to counter and detect corruption, fraud, wasteful expenditure and the like;

• Benefits and perks at the senior level will be revised;

• Will critically examine the need for government credit cards, overseas engagements and other associated expenditure;

• Tender processes will be revisited and tightened;

• Persons in the employment of the state will not be permitted to do business with the state or be members of any company or association for profit;

• The role of internal auditors in government departments will be attended to;

• Critically examine areas of wastage and wasteful expenditure and introduce new stringent measures to prevent these from occurring;

• Management will be subjected to more vigorous responsibility and accountability – will not be the same as ordinary staffers;

• Systems and procedures of dealing with disciplinary matters will be revisited and tightened to ensure fast efficient dispensing of cases - currently staff in disciplinary cases are suspended with pay for years without end – this will stop;

Foreign Nationals

SNP will –

With immediate effect, engage the South African Development Community (SADEC) and African Union (AU) and give notice of the intention to strictly enforce South African Law in terms of Cross Border movements, residence within the country, employment etc;

1. Tighten border security i.e. land, sea and air;

2. Increase Police/Military numbers in the guarding of all borders;

3. Increase the numbers and capacity of Home Affairs Immigration

Officials;

• Immigration to work round the clock to detect and hold unprocessed foreign nationals;

• illegal immigrants will be deported to the countries of origin within 14 days of being apprehended – system currently costs millions per month to service illegal immigrants held at Lindelani and other holding facilities;

• Identified foreign criminals and repeat illegal immigrants will be black-listed from future entry into the country;

• Devise systems and procedures to deal with issues of corruption and bribery at Home Affairs, SAPS and Military;

• Staff working at points of entry will be frequently rotated to circumvent familiarity and eliminate opportunities for malfeasance and endemic corruption;

Water Resources

1. South Africa is undergoing a period of severe water shortages and not much has been done to improve or circumvent the possibility of cities, towns and villages running out of drinkable water resources.

2. To this end, SNP will-

• Construct additional dams and reservoirs as part of the National Infrastructure development programme;

• Set up a Central Water Authority whose responsibility will be to deal with issues related to water storage and provision on a national basis;

• Embark on an alien vegetation clearing exercise/projects in and around catchment areas;

• Devise and introduce an ongoing national water saving educational strategy;

• Make water affordable to all communities;

• Encourage and authorise farmers to build own dams and reservoirs and not be totally reliant on the state for supply;

• Ensure through innovative management projects that South Africa always has enough storage capacity to avoid the possibilities of running out of water;