"The Johannesburg Press Club shares President Mbeki's view that South Africans 'are firmly convinced that our country has entered its Age of Hope'. On behalf of the club, I congratulate the minister for the excellent work he has done steering the economy in the right direction to a point of reaching the levels of growth witnessed last year," said Johannesburg Press Club chairperson, Hopewell Radebe.
The club members noted at their AGM on January 26 that the economy's performance in its diverse categories attracted news coverage consistently every week for the past year, in both electronic and print media.
While the minister was often quoted, or his name mentioned by commentators in most written or broadcast on related topics, the upward trends about the country's economy in general have kept the media busy in the year 2005.
In his State of the Nation Address early this month, the President had this to say: "With regard to the economy, late last month the Grant Thornton International Business Owners Survey reported that 84% of South Africa's business owners are optimistic about the year ahead, making them the third most optimistic internationally. Again last month, the First National Bank and the Bureau for Economic Research reported that the consumer confidence index is at its highest in 25 years."
Mbeki concluded that the outcome of the surveys communicated the unequivocal message that South Africans in general expected government to "move faster to address the challenges of poverty, underdevelopment and marginalisation confronting those caught within the Second Economy, to ensure that the poor in our country share in our growing prosperity".
At the Press Club nominations for Newsmaker of the Year, Minister Manuel outvoted nominees such as former Deputy President Jacob Zuma, who took second place, followed by "Activism against Rape" and South African Olympic swimmer Ryk Neethling.
The minister will be awarded the Johannesburg Press Club Newsmaker 2005 floating trophy and a replica for his office. Plans are underway to honour him at a prestigious banquet that will recognise the minister's stewardship towards sustainable economic growth and his contributions in making good the business of disseminating news in general in the country.
