Sunday Times (Johannesburg) - February 2, 2009

However, there have been robust engagements on a common understanding of the meaning of judicial independence and the boundaries of the separation of powers, particularly between the judiciary and the other arms of the government.

Constitutional democracies across the globe are characterised by the inherent and necessary tensions between the three arms of government which must co-operate as they discharge their mandates.

South Africa continues to believe that an independent, vigilant, fearless, vigorous and sensitive judiciary is the cornerstone of democracy. The government respects, and has unequivocally pledged its commitment to, the independence of the judiciary and the rule of law.

South Africa is proud of its sound macroeconomic policies, which have ensured that, over the past 15 years, our economy grew at unprecedented levels. Owing to these appropriate macroeconomic policies, and a strong banking and financial sector, South Africa has been cushioned from the global financial shock resulting in what has been called the deepest crisis since the Great Depression of 1929. We are confident that our policies and interventions will demonstrate the required flexibility to address this prolonged economic downturn and reduce the negative impact on our economy.

We remain committed to accelerating our socioeconomic development to achieve sustainable development and the eradication of poverty.

The government undertook a 15-year review of performance and found that the number of people living in poverty had been significantly reduced, but inequality had increased. In August 2008, the government launched the "War on Poverty" campaign as one leg of a broader anti-poverty strategy. Furthermore, the government has successfully mainstreamed its anti-poverty initiatives into the planning and implementation of its programmes and budgeting process.

The aim of these initiatives is to more effectively reach the poor.

The social security assistance programme remains the most significant pillar of the anti-poverty strategy. Cash transfers in the form of old age pensions, and disability, child support and foster care grants, and grants in aid (intended for care services for the aged, orphans and the terminally ill) have made a positive impact on the lives of poor South Africans.

South Africa continues to improve the lives of the poor and bolster the health system. In this regard, the fight against HIV and Aids remains a key priority as evidenced by the elaborate and pragmatic plan to combat HIV-Aids.

The funds spent by the public sector to combat HIV and Aids, and mitigate its impact, have increased from R5317-billion in 2006 to R5768-billion in 2007.

All of these, including the comprehensive plan to combat HIV and Aids, indicate that South Africa is making huge strides in the fight against the pandemic.

Expenditure on education grew from R30-billion in 1994-1995 to over R101-billion in the 2007-2008 financial year. Access to education has improved in all sectors, with most growth in the school sector.

South Africa has attained the goal of universal primary education and an increasing number of children (about 60percent) remain in school for the full 12 years.

Access has also been strengthened by the declaration of no-fee schools in poorer communities . During 2008, 40 percent of both primary and secondary schools were declared no-fee schools.

In order to ensure stability, peace and development it is necessary that we tackle crime comprehensively.

This is a key priority area and government expenditure on crime prevention has been steadily increasing through the recruitment of more policemen and women, as well as through infrastructure improvement. These efforts are starting to yield the required results.

There is a marked decrease in contact crimes, such as murder and robbery.

Our law-enforcement agencies are working tirelessly to ensure that crime is drastically reduced. Our criminal justice system is being bolstered to ensure that perpetrators of crime are dealt with speedily and effectively.

We are also addressing some of the contributory factors to crime, such as poverty and joblessness.

During June 2008, South Africa experienced violence of immense proportions fuelled mainly by what many believed to be xenophobia.

Some people were killed, others injured, and others were displaced or separated from their families. There have been various dimensions of what has been widely reported as xenophobia. One dimension is that not only foreign nationals were killed but South African citizens as well.

In order to address this matter, parliament established a task team to probe the attacks and establish the root causes. The findings indicate that the violence was fuelled by socioeconomic inequalities, competition for scarce resources, poor living conditions and high unemployment. All these underscore the class dimension of these attacks and the challenges of unequal development.

These attacks have been condemned by South Africans from all walks of life, signalling a united voice against all forms of discrimination . South Africans have opened their hearts to the survivors by giving donations to the displaced , co-operating with police in bringing perpetrators to book and staging protest marches in solidarity. We are determined to prevent these heinous deeds from happening in our country again.

In preparing for the 2010 soccer World Cup , infrastructure has been built to ensure that South Africa hosts a successful African World Cup. In addition to stadiums, there has been massive investment in transport infrastructure to ensure that it [can] absorb the increased volume and demand. We are ready to host the Cup and have no doubt that we will make Africa proud.

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