Note to Editors: The Plan for Prosperity document can be accessed here.
The economy is the most crucial, all encompassing, and impactful aspect of society. It is the engine that powers every other part of our lives, individually and collectively. The economy is the price of bread and electricity, the ability to pay school fees, the dignity of a job and a payslip at the end of the month.
Progress and prosperity are built on the strength of the economy. That is why fixing and growing the economy is our most urgent task.
Over the past year, the South African economy has grown at just 0.6%. It has grown at less that 1% over the past decade. The numbers do not lie. The empirical data shows that South Africa’s economy is failing to deliver meaningful growth, job creation, or improved livelihoods under this Government. And the growth forecasts for the future inspire little confidence and hope.
What remains sorely absent is a credible plan to turn the economy around – a plan rooted in dignity and in the belief that every South African deserves the chance to prosper.
It is to fill this void that Build One South Africa (BOSA) unveils the Plan for Prosperity today. It is a bold, practical and visionary roadmap to achieve 5% economic growth and unlock opportunity for every South African.
The plan rests on clear reform pillars, with each pillar addressing a specific bottleneck – from reducing business red tape and plugging infrastructure gaps, to empowering entrepreneurs, reforming labour, and investing in people.
- Ease of Doing Business: Cutting red tape, digitising registrations, and modernising customs to support entrepreneurs.
- Infrastructure Investment: Expanding ports, rail, 5G and public transport to turn infrastructure into a growth catalyst.
- Public-Private Partnerships: Establishing a Treasury PPP Unit to unlock private-sector investment in water, energy and transport.
- Small Business Support: Expanding access to finance and tax relief so SMMEs can grow and create jobs.
- Labour Market Reform: Scaling apprenticeships, TVET training, and fair regulation of the gig economy to reduce youth unemployment.
- Energy Security: Decentralising electricity, expanding private generation, and ending loadshedding by 2027.
- Water Supply: Fixing municipal leaks, rolling out smart meters, and investing in desalination.
- Trade Expansion: Boosting value-added exports and leveraging AfCFTA to halve the trade deficit.
Prosperity is not only about economic growth. Beyond the economic growth drivers, the Plan for Prosperity includes bold reforms in education, crime prevention, and healthcare:
- Making reading for meaning by age 10 a national priority, raising the matric pass mark to 50%, and introducing a school voucher system.
- Halving the murder rate by 2030 through decentralised policing, anti-gang task forces, victim support services, and modern crime-fighting technology.
- Fixing public healthcare by deploying 10,000 additional doctors and nurses, overhauling procurement, scaling telemedicine, and halving maternal and neonatal deaths within five years
With political will and technical focus, South Africa can turn this blueprint into tangible progress, creating jobs, raising incomes, and finally delivering on the promise of prosperity.
The plan is grounded, costed, evidence-based plan, inspired by global best practice and tailored to South Africa’s realities. If other countries can achieve sustained growth and prosperity, so can we.
What it requires is a new kind of government, one that is ethical, agile, and delivery focused. A government that understands that economic growth is the enabler of justice
BOSA will now take this Plan for Prosperity to Parliament, engage various stakeholders, and visit communities across South Africa to build support for this practical plan that will grow the economy, create jobs, and improve the lives of every South African.
Media Enquiries:
Roger Solomons – BOSA Spokesperson – 072 299 3551