South Africa's president priorities growth, jobs as parliament opens

South Africa's President Ramaphosa committed his new coalition government to growth, job creation and poverty reduction as he opened parliament Thursday following the first elections in which his ruling ANC lost its absolute majority.

In his address, Ramaphosa promised business-friendly reforms, such as an overhaul of the graft-ridden public service, and to "massively increase" investment in infrastructure. But the former trade unionist added that growth must be "inclusive" and "support the empowerment of black South Africans and women and all those who in the past had been relegated to the fringes of our nation's economy."