SABC<\/a>, Mantashe said the ANC had made a mistake by fostering what he described as a \u201cparcel society\u201d where citizens expect the government to provide everything without public participation.<\/p>\n\u201cWe\u2019ve developed a theory of delivery where people sit back, sit in the sun and expect the state to deliver, while people themselves are not involved,\u201d Mantashe said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf our people can be involved, we\u2019ll be a better country. It\u2019s a mistake we have created as the ANC \u2014 I must own up to that \u2014 where we created a parcel society instead of ensuring participation.\u201d<\/p>\n
Asked whether he was satisfied with the ANC\u2019s record in government, Mantashe said he was \u201chappy\u201d with what the party had delivered but criticised citizens for failing to take advantage of opportunities created since 1994.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am happy that we have delivered. We have changed the outlook of the country. I am unhappy that many of our people don\u2019t use the advantages of an ANC government. Instead, they expect that government to take them there.\u201d<\/p>\n
Using an analogy, Mantashe said the ANC had created opportunities.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe ANC has given you a fishing rod \u2014 must it now catch fish for you?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n
The latest official unemployment rate is 31.9% (including only those actively seeking work).<\/p>\n
He said South Africans needed to move away from dependence on the state and take greater responsibility for solving the country\u2019s challenges.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe must all be part of the solution and not depend on the state or the ANC for solutions. The more people get involved, the better the country will be.\u201d<\/p>\n
Reflecting on his own experience, Mantashe said he had never expected the government to find work for him.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am now over 70. I\u2019ve never had a government looking for a job for me,\u201d he said. \u201cToday, because there is a progressive government, people expect that government to go and give them jobs. They don\u2019t look for jobs themselves, and that must change.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou queue for a job, you look for the advert, and you apply in real terms. We must move out of being a parcel society and become an active society.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mantashe\u2019s remarks come as the ANC prepares to hold its flagship political event, the January 8 statement, at Moruleng Stadium in Moruleng, North West, on Saturday.<\/p>\n
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