We will work tirelessly to end unemployment caused by COVID-19: Ramaphosa

African National Congress (ANC) President Cyril Ramaphosa says they will work tirelessly to end poverty, inequality and unemployment caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

This is amongst the decisions taken at their virtual three day ANC NEC Lekgotla over the weekend.

The meeting was attended by ANC deployees in government, alliance partners and members of civil society and traditional leaders.

Both former presidents Thabo Mbeki and Jacob Zuma as well as the party’s former deputy president Kgalema Motlanthe attended the meeting.

Ramaphosa says they are planning to hold an economic indaba to help deal with the impact of the coronavirus on South Africans.

He says, “The important decision of this Lekgotla is to convene an Economic Summit that critically looks at what COVID-19 has merely accentuated: poverty, inequality and unemployment in South Africa. This Summit needs to focus renewed attention on broad-based black economic empowerment, the transformation of ownership, management and control patterns in the economy, and the promotion of black and women entrepreneurs and industrialists.”

 Ramaphosa delivers closing address at the ANC Lekgotla:
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In November, Statistics South Africa revealed that South Africa’s unemployment rate increased by 7.5% points to 30.8% in the third quarter of 2020: 
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