High-speed internet for all, bridges, roads, harbours … it’s all happening, says Ramaphosa

It would take only a few more years for the country to achieve the vision of affordable, high-speed internet access for every citizen, said Cyril Ramaphosa in his state of the nation address on Thursday.

According to Cyril Ramaphosa, the spectrum auction contributed R14 billion to the fiscus, and when digital migration of the television signal is finished, new frequencies will become available for 5G and the cost of data will reduce.

5G wireless networks

We will complete the switch-off of analogue transmission by the end of this year for the remaining households. During Thursday’s state of the nation address, he said this would provide valuable spectrum for the rollout of 5G wireless networks.

“These actions will bring us closer to our vision of affordable, high-speed internet access for all.”

As he reflected on his investment drive, Ramaphosa noted that several companies made commitments during South Africa’s investment conferences, which led to them investing in new factories, call centres, solar power plants, undersea fibreoptic cables, expansion of production lines, and adopting new technologies as a result of their commitments.

Ramaphosa

Our state of the nation address last year emphasized the importance of mobilizing investment, which is key to creating jobs and growing the economy. Our campaign to raise R1.2 trillion in new investment began nearly five years ago, and we promised to give it new juice.”

As far as he is concerned, the five-year investment target will have been achieved when the fourth SA Investment Conference is held in 2022, which raised R367bn in investment commitments.

“New jobs and new opportunities have been created as a result of these investments,” he said.

SA Investment Conference

April 13 will be the date of the fifth SA Investment Conference. SA will set a new investment target of over R2-trillion at this conference, he said.

Since the economy has been invested in, local production has increased substantially, Ramaphosa said.

The lack of technical skills and project management capabilities is among the biggest obstacles to infrastructure investment, Ramaphosa said. As a solution to this problem, Infrastructure South Africa has allocated R600 million for project preparation, particularly in rural and under-resourced areas.

“ Over the past several years, we have implemented mechanisms for supporting infrastructure investment which are now beginning to bear fruit.

“As of January this year, 232 billion Rand worth of projects were under construction and nearly 4 billion Rand worth of projects had been completed,” he explained.

Human settlements have been built in Gauteng, roads have been upgraded, and small harbours have been developed.

SA National Roads Agency

A new milestone in road construction has been reached by the SA National Roads Agency (Sanral) with the award of R18 billion in three months.

It will be a great relief to travelers in the Eastern Cape when the Msikaba bridge and the Mtentu bridge are completed. As a result of this investment, large-scale jobs will be created, skills developed and poverty alleviation will be achieved, especially in rural areas nearby.”

Under Ramaphosa’s Welisizwe programme, he promised to build more rural bridges to help residents reach schools, workplaces, and amenities more easily and safely. A further 24 bridges are in the process of being erected in KwaZulu-Natal, he stated on Thursday night.

Among the policies Ramaphosa described as helping to reduce youth unemployment is expanding the Employment Tax Incentive.

see also 

In an effort to reduce unnecessary bureaucracy, the government’s red tape reduction team under Sipho Nkosi is collaborating with a variety of departments.

“It is committed to working collaboratively with government departments, including those dealing with mining rights, tourism licensing, visas, and work permits, early childhood development, and informal economic activity.

SA SME Fund

“Our plan is to finalize amendments to the Companies Act so that regulatory impediments are reduced for SMMEs and co-operatives, and so that entrepreneurs have an easier time starting up their businesses,” said Ramaphosa.

Over 90,000 entrepreneurs will receive financing from the Small Enterprise Finance Agency. A R10 billion fund is being built to support SMME growth by the government and SA SME Fund.