Sustainable Development Goals: Country report 2019 House ...

1 Sustainable Development goals : Country report 2019 Published by Statistics south africa , Private Bag X44, Pretoria, 0001, south africa , ISIbalo House , Kock Street, Salvakop, Pretoria, 0002 , Tel +27 12 310 8911 316 pp ISBN 978-0-621-47619-4 Sustainable Development goals : Country report 2019 Published by Statistics south africa FOREWORD i Minister Jackson Mthembu, the Minister in the Presidency: Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation The SDGs are as much about Development and transformation as they are about the restoration of the dignity of people around the world, more so in south africa with its history of deprivation and exclusion of the majority of its people. In 2017, my predecessor, the Honourable Jeffrey Thamsanqa Radebe, in the foreword to the Indicator Baseline report , reminded us that for the SDGs to fulfil its transformative mission, and for Development to truly respond to the aspirations of our own NDP, we have to build meaningful, lasting and effective partnerships.

2 He further reminded us that we have a window of opportunity during which to accelerate the implementation of Sustainable Development in south africa ; to deliver the goals and bring governments, businesses, and people together to embark on a new path towards a more Sustainable and better planet for all. History will judge us harshly if we do not heed this call to action and unity in purpose to deliver on the hopes and dreams of our people. The National Development Plan (NDP): Vision 2030 Our future make it work was adopted in 2012, as south africa `s Development lodestar and roadmap. It predated the post-2015 Development agenda of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development as well as the African Union Agenda 2063. The NDP has a 74% convergence with the Sustainable Development goals (SDGs), and prioritises job creation, the elimination of poverty, the reduction of inequality and growing an inclusive economy by 2030.

3 south africa established a national coordinating mechanism to strengthen implementation of Development policies. The coordination arrangement further facilitates national engagements and reporting in a coordinated and integrated manner on the developmental agendas of UN 2030 Agenda, the AU Agenda 2063, the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan (RISDP) as well as our own Vision 2030, as encapsulated in the National Development Plan. The 2019 SDG Country report for south africa , follows the Voluntary National Review report that was presented at the 2019 High Level Political Forum. The Country report provides us with a timely reminder, not only of our successes, given our historical context, but more so of the challenges that have to be addressed if we wish to attain the goals and targets set out in this global Development framework.

4 We now have a solid foundation that evaluates our progress to date and the extent of the tasks that lies ahead. It serves as an encouragement to double our efforts in areas where we are not doing so well. It further puts us on a path to build a strong and resilient economy that sets us on a trajectory to confront the triple challenge of poverty, unemployment and inequality. This will require of all the social partners to work together, grow south africa , to ensure that our Country is able to eliminate poverty, create jobs and employment opportunities for its people and to create a more equitable society. I am acutely aware that in order for our social compact to be effective, a lot still has to be done to overcome our challenges. As government we recommit ourselves to work together with business, organised labour and civil society organisations to ensure that this Country delivers on its transformative agenda.

5 We continue on our path to build a non-racial, non-sexist democratic society. J Mthembu Minister in the Presidency, republic of south africa ii MESSAGE iii His Excellency Mr Cyril Ramaphosa, President of The republic Of south africa This, the first Sustainable Development goals (SDGs) Country report reflecting on progress of our Development trajectory, is a timely reminder of what we, as a nation have achieved during 25 years of democracy in south africa . It also reminds us of the enormity of the tasks that still lies ahead. In the work of aligning the global agenda to our own blueprint for the Development of our Country the National Development Plan, Vision 2030 we have found resonance and, as such, I am confident that the SDGs, generally, address our own aspirations as expressed through our vision.

6 Our Government is promoting Sustainable Development policies which seek to make significant interventions in reducing poverty, unemployment and inequality. The SDGs give us the opportunity to collaborate more sharply, more effectively and more deliberately in leaving no one behind . We seek to eradicate poverty and create conditions for our people to resonate with the programmes of Government as well as trust the objectives of multilateral fora of governance and international organisations like the United Nations and the African Union. As the SDGs are interlinked, their realisation requires an integrated policy response. Indeed, accelerating inclusive growth to deliver on the SDGs must be at the centre of all our actions. We need to refine our energies and resources to focus the National Development Plan (NDP) and position it as a centerpiece that will put us in line to achieve the objectives set out in africa s Agenda 2063.

7 Furthermore, our bold ambitions and actions should place our nation and our continent on a pedestal to contribute to global Development . As people of the world, we can only contribute to complete humanity, if all nations of the world work together. We cannot ignore the fact that we are facing a fourth industrial revolution that is having a significant impact on south africa , africa and the rest of the world. If we wish to remain relevant within the global community, we need to work together and invest in education, training, reskilling and new skills, to be able to cope with the challenges of the future. People all over the world have hope. Those who suffer most from poverty or exclusion, those who have been left behind and who have no access to Development , peace or respect and dignity look unto us, as leaders, with hope for a better tomorrow.

8 We cannot and dare not fail them. Finally, I want to encourage all to mobilise behind the vision of the SDGs and indeed our own NDP so that we can face our challenges and march together towards the new dawn of a better tomorrow. We all have it within our reach to define our destiny. Yours sincerely, MC Ramaphosa PRESIDENT OF THE republic OF south africa iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS v The Sustainable Development goals (SDGs) are a universal call to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity. The SDGs, which are closely aligned to our own National Development Plan, will be our yardstick to measure our progress globally and, more so, locally, to gauge the extent to which we as a Country have been able to deliver on the dreams and ideals of our people of a better life for all.

9 Two years since south africa launched its baseline report , we are on the threshold of releasing our Country s first full-scale report Sustainable Development goals (SDGs): Country report 2019 a report which gives an overview of our successes but also highlights the many challenges the Country still faces in its efforts to rid itself of its triple challenge of poverty, inequality and unemployment. As a Country , we are acutely aware that meaningful reporting is underpinned by proper measurement of the phenomena that will guide us to make rational decisions on whether, and to what extent, the Country has been able to effect meaningful changes to the living conditions and life circumstances of its masses of people yearning for a better life. Thus, the statistics we produce and use become a conduit for delivering the hopes and dreams of nations yearning for prosperity for their people.

10 As the Statistician-General, I have taken stock of the indicators that the Country reports on and what needs to be done to close the gap on those indicators we currently are unable to measure. I am confident that our envisaged strategic tool to deal with this data paucity will not only promote consistency in reporting on various developmental frameworks, but also take us closer to the SDG dictum of leaving no one behind . I wish to acknowledge the many role-players from government departments, civil society organisations, business, organised labour , research and academic institutions, as well as international agencies that contributed towards the richness of this Country report . We are particular grateful and indebted to the public our respondents who selflessly sacrifice their time to provide information about their life circumstances so that the statistics produced accurately reflect the reality of life in this Country .