The government will continue to implement black economic empowerment as well as affirmative action programmes‚ President Jacob Zuma said on Wednesday.

Delivering a Freedom Day speech at Giyani in Limpopo‚ Zuma said that for freedom to be complete‚ the country’s economy could not be skewed along racial lines.

“We must give practical meaning to the demand of the Freedom Charter that ‘all shall share in the country’s wealth’‚” he stated.

“Government will continue to implement black economic empowerment programmes as well as affirmative action programmes. We have introduced new programmes such as the promotion of black participation in the manufacturing sector actively as industrialists.

“In partnership with the private sector‚ government will continue to work towards economic transformation so that we can expand our economy and create much needed jobs‚” Zuma added.

He welcomed the continuing cooperation between the government and the private sector.

Consultations with business‚ he said‚ were ongoing to find ways of igniting economic growth and create jobs‚ to mitigate the punishing global economic climate.

“We also continue to engage labour. Together we recently resolved a critical matter relating to worker pensions‚ which was of concern to the labour movement‚ especially Cosatu‚” Zuma added.