by TINTSWALO BALOYI
JOHANNESBURG, (CAJ News) – SOUTH Africa is happy to see the back of the year 2022.
The country faces the upcoming year with confidence and determination.
This is according to President Cyril Ramaphosa as the current year draws to a close.
It has been yet another tumultuous year for South Africans.
In the first half of the year, the country experienced devastating floods in parts of KwaZulu-Natal, Eastern Cape and North West while hundreds of people died.
Ramaphosa noted the Russia-Ukraine conflict sent shockwaves through global energy and food markets, leading to supply chain disruptions and rising prices that continued to be keenly felt, including in South Africa.
The energy crisis has caused misery for South African households and businesses as load shedding escalates.
This added to the woes emanating from COVID-19 and deadly protests last year.
“With this difficult year coming to an end and several challenges still not resolved, we need to keep closely focused on what needs to be done to make next year better,” Ramaphosa said.
He wrote in his weekly letter, made available on Monday.
“But we have good reason to be believe things are getting better,” Ramaphosa stated.
“Our great country will rise above adversity, as it has done so many times in the past,” Ramaphosa said.
The president noted despite the electricity challenges, the economy is recording growth.
In the third quarter of this year real gross domestic product grew by 1,6 percent.
The size of the economy now exceeds pre-pandemic levels.
“Jobs are being created again,” Ramaphosa said.
“While we haven’t recovered all the jobs lost to the pandemic around 1,5 million new jobs were created in the last year.”
A few months ago, the Presidential Employment Stimulus reached 1 million participants.
More than 3 million youth are registered on the SAYouth.mobi platform that connects them with prospective employers.
The government is revitalising the National Youth Service to create work opportunities for 50 000 young people.
– CAJ News
