30 years of meeting basic needs: In his first State of We will do more to consolidate, advance and modernise our
the Nation Address in 1994, President Nelson Mandela basic services to leave no-one behind.
announced several measures to implement the Reconstruction
and Development Programme (RDP). These included free 30 years of economic transformation: Despite persisting
health care to pregnant women and children under six, challenges, we made progress in economic transformation,
free housing for the poor, and massive roll-out of water, with initiatives to promote job creation, infrastructure
sanitation, electricity to those previously excluded. It also development, broadening economic opportunities and
included the protection of workers’ rights and a focus on the investment. Our economy has tripled in size since 1994 and
rights of women, youth, persons with disability, children and the rate of poverty reduced. While unemployed has remained
older persons. Thirty years later, South Africa has achieved high, the number of people in employment has more than
remarkable progress in providing a social wage and universal doubled from 8 million in 1994 to 16.7 million today.
basic services across the country.
ECONIMIC
WATER &
OPPORTUNITIES
SANITATION
17