THE proposals contained in the African National Congress (ANC) discussion document on social transformation mirror the conclusions of the green paper on land reform released last year.

The party’s recommendations on equitable and sustainable rural communities effectively endorse the various institutions first proposed by the green paper to facilitate speedy land sales and transfers to the state for restitution and land reform.

The ANC document says : "As a gesture of goodwill, the government said it would provide a fair compensation but this generosity and magnanimity was abused … demands were made that were extraordinary and impacted negatively on land redistribution."

The document also says the state must ensure that the poor have access to productive land as part of "strategies to improve access to physical assets".

The party position was premised on the belief that there was sufficient evidence to suggest the willing buyer, willing seller model "tends to distort the land market by inflating the prices of land earmarked for restitution".

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The South African government has unveiled a series of measures to help the country speed up job creation, following the release of figures this week showing that unemployment rose from 25 to 25.7 percent in the second quarter.

The "12-point implementation plan" will see the State harnessing short-term employment schemes, enterprise development and a series of public investment schemes to tackle unemployment, which was exacerbated by the 2008-09 global economic crisis, when more than 900 000 South Africans lost their jobs.

Minister in the Presidency Collins Chabane, speaking to journalists in Pretoria following a three-day Cabinet meeting, said Cabinet would also be setting up an Infrastructure Commission and Job Creation Commission, to be chaired by President Jacob Zuma and his deputy, Kgalema Motlanthe, respectively.

Research shows that while unemployment figures have increased, the state has been leading in job creation, with the private sector lagging behind.

Chabane said the Infrastructure Commission would ensure systematic selection, planning and monitoring of large projects.

"This intervention will systematically improve the capacity of state agencies to deliver infrastructure and help connect the work of all spheres of government," Chabane said, adding that the revitalization of the country's rail infrastructure was also highlighted during the Cabinet meeting.