Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan says that the government needs to step up their efforts in order to make a difference to SA citizens.(GCIS)
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Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan,says that the current difficult economic situation in the country requires a united front from all South Africans in order to find a positive way forward.
His statement comes after Standard and Poors downgraded South Africa's credit rating on Friday. It has warned that strikes in the mining sector are likely to feed into the political debate in the run-up to the 2014 elections, which may increase uncertainties related to the ANC's future policy framework.
The rating agency also says it expects South Africa's underlying social tensions to increase pressure on government spending.
Gordhan says that the ANC-led government now needs to redouble its efforts to make a meaningful difference in the lives of the majority of South Africans.
"All of us as South Africans need to recognise that there are huge deficits in our society, and all of us have a contribution to make. One of the challenges with the way in which some of us have these public discourses is that everything comes to the door of the government," says Gordhan.
He further questions, "Now where are the other social actors? What responsibilities do they have? What do ordinary South African citizens have as their responsibility?"
