"South Africa needs to speed up its growth rate to around five percent to be able to provide jobs for the unemployed," he said.
The government has pledged US$15 billion to infrastructure development in the next 10 years as a way of creating more employment.
Last year President Thabo Mbeki introduced the Expanded Public Works Programme, a project that aims to improve South Africa's infrastructure while creating one million jobs within five years.
Finance Minister Trevor Manuel said in his 2004 budget speech earlier in February that speeding up economic growth was one of the government's top priorities.
"We recognize that the pace of economic growth has to be accelerated," he said.
"Investment in industry and infrastructure and an expansion of job opportunities are critical challenges for the decade ahead."
RSS