The state of the nation address (Sona) of President Cyril Ramaphosa will be another round of hollow promises unless he abandons “policies that have brought us unemployment, poor economic growth, and a crippling electricity crisis.”
According to opposition parties and civil society organisations, the president’s speech would likely consist of “old songs” about service delivery that lack substance.
They told Sunday World that they had all but given up on Ramaphosa’s ideas to address the country’s challenges being coherent and reasonable.
Ahead of his Sona address on Thursday, Ramaphosa is under increasing political pressure to expedite economic changes and address the rise in food costs.
Bantu Holomisa, leader of the UDM, stated that he anticipates Ramaphosa to sing the same old hymn at the podium. “Expect a rehash of previous speeches and nothing but empty promises,” he said.
Cosatu cited Ramaphosa’s incapacity to combat unemployment as one of his most significant shortcomings.
“When the government announced the Presidential Employment Stimulus, there was great optimism” (PES). As a result of the initiative, many young people gained employment as teaching assistants. It was initially a successful program, but significant budget cuts… Sizwe Pamla, a spokeswoman for our organization, stated that we wanted more money to be allocated to the PES.
We do not want new policies, as we already have enough, and the government should simply deliver.
Themba Godi, former chairman of Scopa and current leader of the African People’s Convention, stated that his political party will closely monitor the address.
“The state of the nation address cannot consist of the usual never-ending list of promises. “The African People’s Convention would expect a president with a conscience to change course from policies that have brought us to this state, given the current state of the country, which includes blackouts, rising unemployment, and grinding poverty,” Godi stated.
The DA stated that it is “not oblivious to the fact” that the Ramaphosa-led ANC has failed to make any significant improvements to the lives of South Africans.
“However, we expect the president to make major announcements regarding his administration’s plans to combat crime and pervasive corruption, find lasting solutions to the energy issue and the escalating cost of living, and stem the hemorrhaging of employment. “The time for empty promises is over,” declared the party’s chief whip, Siviwe Gwarube.
Independent think tank Centre for Development and Enterprise has given up hope that Ramaphosa can lead the country out of the woods due to his indecisiveness.
“President Ramaphosa presented himself as a reformer, and many individuals desperately wanted to believe this. They were prepared to disconnect the man from the party where he has been a leader and member for more than three decades. They expected that the chairman of the ANC deployment committee during the height of state capture would do things differently and discard long-held beliefs and practices,” said executive director of CDE Ann Bernstein, noting that the moment has come for citizens to liberate themselves.
Tlou Seopa, the campaign manager for the social mobilization organization Amandla.mobi, stated that the organization wants Ramaphosa to increase the monthly Social Relief of Distress Grant from R350 to R1,417.
“They will undoubtedly experience the consequences of inaction, especially with the 2024 elections approaching. We will cease mobilization only until a basic income payment is in place,” said Seopa.
Herman Mashaba, the head of ActionSA, remarked that Ramaphosa must first handle the Phala Phala issue before making further “empty promises.”
“We cannot have a contaminated president continue to feed us the same tale that is not moving the country forward. We must address these draconian laws that do not benefit our people. However, he must first confront the Phala Phala scandal and explain why he didn’t use the country’s financial system to keep his money instead of hiding it under sofas, as Mashaba stated.
Alex Mashilo, a spokesman for the South African Communist Party, stated that the party expected Ramaphosa to devise methods to combat loadshedding and abolish unemployment, inequality, and poverty.
“The Sona must solve four fundamental difficulties with a persuasive argument for South Africans to adopt it. Urgent measures to cease loadshedding, massive employment creation to reduce unemployment within a realistic time frame, a radical approach for eradicating poverty, and the systematic elimination of inequality. In addition, the Sona must effectively combat crime and corruption, according to Mashilo.
The so-called comprehensive social compact, which Ramaphosa claimed would be implemented within 100 days after unveiling it at last year’s Sona, will also weigh heavily on him. Former president Thabo Mbeki criticized Ramaphosa for the delays as a result of the significant amount of inaction.
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