President Cyril Ramaphosa is set to deliver his highly anticipated State of the Nation Address (SONA) on Thursday (6 February) where he is expected to address pressing national concerns, including the Expropriation Act, tensions between Rwanda and South Africa, and uncertainties surrounding the Government of National Unity (GNU).
With the country facing socio-economic challenges and political instability, Ramaphosa’s address serves as a critical moment to reassure South Africans and outline his administration’s plans moving forward.
Speaking on VOC’s News Beat show, political analyst Sandile Swana noted that the GNU will likely highlight its ability to remain intact despite early concerns over its stability.
“There were reasons at the early stages to suspect that they might not be able to hold it together, but they will be boasting about having managed to do so,” he stated.
However, concerns remain about whether the government is addressing key issues affecting ordinary South Africans, particularly in impoverished communities.
“We are sitting with approximately 12.2 million people unemployed, with no known plan to reduce this within the current administration,” Swana added.
Meanwhile, criticism has also been directed at Ramaphosa’s overall performance as president, with some questioning whether he has done enough to tackle South Africa’s economic and governance challenges.
“He [Ramaphosa] has not even started, let alone done enough. He doesn’t know what it takes to do enough, and he subscribes to these austerity programmes and budget cuts, which are exactly what is not needed,” he said.
Listen to the full interview with Swana below:
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Photo: @CyrilRamaphosa/X