South Africa Aims for 5.4% Growth, Rail Boost to Add Jobs

South Africa needs economic growth of 5.4 percent a year and expansion in railways and ports to reduce poverty and create jobs in a country where one in four is unemployed, the National Planning Commission said.

Government spending on infrastructure may add to growth, helping to cut the jobless rate to 14 percent by 2020 and 6 percent by 2030, the commission, led by Trevor Manuel, said in its national development plan released today in the capital, Pretoria. That requires 11 million new jobs by 2030.