It serves little purpose to talk about a growth rate of 5%, doubling gross domestic product (GDP) per capita, and reducing unemployment to 6%, if there is no chance of the proposals being implemented.

Since the draft plan was published in November 2011 there have been adjustments to make it more appealing to the governing ANC.

These include a further tax on mining and the goal of a “developmental state”, neither of which sounds very helpful in the promotion of economic growth.

The plan, as before, recommends a version of the youth wage subsidy favoured by Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan and the opposition Democratic Alliance. Cosatu  opposes the subsidy.

So the crucial question is whether President Jacob Zuma supports the plan.

Having vacillated throughout his term, Zuma is unlikely to provide direction now.
Wait in vain.