Among the bold steps government has taken is to make investments that ensure sustainability of existing land reform projects through the recently launched Recapitalisation and Development Programme (RADP). The programme is intended to revitalise and resuscitate land reform farms in distress and revive defunct irrigation schemes in the former homelands. More than 595 farms under the RADP are now at advanced stages of revitalisation and the potential impact of this on agricultural production and the participation of previously marginalised communities are huge. Measurable progress recorded under the Recapitalisation programme includes targeting specific agricultural sectors such the sugar cane farming, red meat industry, poultry farming across the country. In relation to health, government finalised the strategic framework used to guide the work of the National Department of Health (NDoH) during the period of reporting. In implementation of the NDoH strategic framework government has developed a 10 Point Plan for 2009-2014. The Plan prioritises, amongst others, the fight against HIV/AIDS. Subsequently, the country unveiled a new National Strategic Plan (NSP) on HIV/AIDS and TB for the period 2012 – 2016, which was officially launched by President Jacob Zuma on World AIDS Day in 2011. The Provincial Implementation Programme was launched by Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe on World TB Day on the 24 March 2012. There has been a steady decline in the rate of new HIV infections and in the prevalence of AIDS in general. The decline in the rate of mortality as the result of HIV/AIDS infection is due to various government interventions that are implemented in partnership with other stakeholders. In addition, South Africa has launched an innovative single-dose Anti- Retroviral (ARV) regime. This single-dose regime will make it much easier for HIV/AIDS patients to use treatment necessary for prolonging their lives. Approximately 180 000 HIV-positive patients are benefitting from medication and this is set to expand in the coming years. In the education sector government increased investments aimed improving both basic and higher education as critical drivers for socio-economic development. At the level of basic education government has created the National Education Evaluation and Development Unit (NEEDU) as a systemic monitoring unit to improve governance. In addition, government continues to focus on ensuring that every child is given a good start early in life through the provision of quality Early Childhood Development (ECD). Furthermore, a task team has been assigned the responsibility of strengthening the National Mathematics, Science and Technology Strategy whose aim is to increase learners’ success rate in these subjects, while increasing the capacity and numbers of teachers in these fields. Although government has made measureable progress in improving basic education it has acknowledged that challenges remain and it has intensified interventions aimed at addressing these. Some of these challenges include the number of pupils still faced with a lack of proper learning facilities, the poor rate of literacy and numeracy among junior primary school pupils, teaching skills shortages (i.e. mathematics and science), and the delivery of learning material in some instances. In relation to higher education government has focussed on increasing the production of honours, masters and doctoral graduates needed to support innovation and knowledge production in our economy. 27