In 2012, shortly before the end of the first term of former South African President Jacob Zuma's administration, with the economy sluggish and inequality and unemployment stubbornly high, the National Treasury, then led by Pravin Gordhan, saw a new urgency for strong evidence to shape appropriate policies. The Treasury invited the University of Cape Town's Southern African Labour and Development Research Unit (SALDRU) to establish an independent, national research project, the Research Project on Employment, Income Inequality and Inclusive Growth (REDI3x3) with three discrete focus areas: