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Zille: The DA has a new economic plan

Cape Town - The Democratic Alliance has launched a policy that if implemented would expand opportunities for South Africans and firms to participate in the economy, said leader Helen Zille on Monday.

The new policy,  which aims to accelerate economic growth, is titled "The Plan for Growth and Jobs 2014".

Among other things, the plan wants businesses to invest, grow and trade more with the rest of Africa.

Growing inequality

The country remained one of the most unequal societies in the world and was not achieving the levels of economic growth needed to change this situation, she said.

Zille said one in four South Africans was currently unemployed. "Around four out of every ten live below the poverty line."

There were many constraints to growth. "But underpinning them all is the fact that too many of our people are left out of the economy and are unable to make a contribution to driving growth because they can't find work; they can't access skills; they can't start businesses; and, they lack capital assets," she said.

The DA's new plan would, if implemented, break down the barriers between these insiders and outsiders.

Connections

Zille also took a swipe at the government saying that  the ANC under President Jacob Zuma has given up on creating jobs and is interested only in enriching itself and those connected to it.

"This has contributed to the fact that 1.4 million South Africans have joined the ranks of the unemployed since the day Zuma took office," she said in a statement.

Zille said the number of people becoming unemployed every year was now five times higher than under Thabo Mbeki's presidency.

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