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CEP template 2012

S o u t h Af r i c a Commonwealth Governance Handbook 2014/15 255 challenges confronting the country and examine their underlying causes. The diagnostic overview was not seen as a plan. It invited an informed discussion about the major issues confronting the nation. The draft National Development Plan – Vision for 2030 was then delivered by the NPC in November 2011. A further intensive national consultation ensued and the revised National Development Plan 2030 was launched in August 2012 ‘as a platform for united action by all South Africans to eradicate poverty, create full employment and reduce inequality ... towards a truly united, nonracial, non-sexist, democratic and prosperous society’. The plan is to be implemented in three phases by 2030. Governance The NPC dealt with the challenge of corruption in its diagnostic overview. It said that corruption, or the misuse of an official position for personal gain, occurs in both the public and private sectors, but it is particularly damaging to good relations between citizens and the state. It undermines confidence in the democratic system by enabling the better-off to exert undue influence over the policy process or obtain preferential access to services. The NPC’s consultations with the agencies tasked with investigating cases of corruption have revealed high levels of corruption. Civil society and the media have played a prominent role in highlighting cases of corruption. The National Victims of Crime Survey suggested that three per cent of South Africans experienced corruption in 2007. According to the Special Investigating Unit, it is estimated that 20–25 per cent of state procurement expenditure, amounting to roughly R30 billion a year, is wasted through overpayment or corruption. Further information South African Government: www.gov.za Commonwealth Secretariat: www.thecommonwealth.org Commonwealth Governance: www.commonwealthgovernance.org


CEP template 2012
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