General: Cabinet to focus on building ‘an ethical, capable state’

How to build ‘an ethical, capable state’, ‘grow the economy’ and ‘attract investment’ will top the agenda of the Cabinet lekgotla now under way in Pretoria, according to Planning, Monitoring & Evaluation Minister Jackson Mthembu, reports Pam Saxby for Legalbrief Policy Watch. Informed by seven priorities identified in last year’s State of the Nation Address (Sona), the ‘programmatic’ lekgotla will develop ‘action plans’ in the context of steps needing to be taken during the coming months to proceed with implementing a 2019-to-2024 medium-term strategic framework that nevertheless has yet to be made public. Against that backdrop, the Minister referred to performance agreements to be signed before this year’s Sona with all Ministers, Deputy Ministers, Premiers and DGs (SAnews).

Mthembu confirmed that the lekgotla agenda also includes ‘Eskom’s power generation difficulties and the financial crisis at South African Airways’ (SABC News). More broadly, participants will discuss ‘gaps’ in the ‘capacities’ not only of state-owned enterprises but also in government ‘structures’ at national, provincial and local level.