President Cyril Ramaphosa is to address the National Council of Provinces on Tuesday regarding service deliver, industrial revival, and corruption.
The President of the Republic will address parliament on Tuesday to answer several burning questions facing the nation.
President Cyril Ramaphosa is set to be asked about matters affecting the everyday lives of South Africans, plans for the future and matters abroad.
Five questions for Ramaphosa
Monitoring of service delivery
With the local government elections due late next year, Ramaphosa is expected to speak on how the national government is monitoring the situation on the ground.
Water supply issues continue to plague municipalities across the country, while debts owed to Eskom and water boards continue to rise.
An additional question scheduled for the president’s attention focuses specifically on the informal settlements of Cape Town and what is being done to address the standards of living in those areas.
Addressing corruption in cabinet
The Madlanga Commission of Inquiry and parliament’s ad hoc committee into allegations of corruption within police have captured the nation’s attention in recent weeks.
Ramaphosa will be pressed on his efforts to root out corruption in Cabinet and other key arms of the state.
The commission and the committee have both heard claims of a network of businessmen, police members, and government officials engaged in dubious behaviours.
South Africans are begging for an end to the rot that ails the government, and all eyes are on how Ramaphosa will deal with the situation.
Reviving local industry
The topic of reviving domestic industrial capacity will be raised, with a special emphasis on the textile, manufacturing, automotive, and agricultural sectors.
High-profile multinational corporations have trimmed their footprints in the country recently, leaving South Africans nervously eyeing unemployment stats.
Coca-Cola warned several weeks ago of potential job losses, with Goodyear already having concluded the closure of its plant in Kariega earlier this year.
Ramaphosa has regularly promised more jobs and economic growth, with citizens eager to start seeing results.
Railway stations
Rail is a pivotal infrastructural link that would work hand in hand with industrial revival.
Ramaphosa is set to provide an update on what time frames have been set for the restoration of areas of the rail network that are still inoperable.
Transnet recently announced the opening of freight and logistics routes to private entities. In contrast, the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) last week announced a further R21 billion in capital expenditure.
Prasa also stated that it had just delivered its 300th new train set and had a target of 600 new trains by 2035.
Gaza
Questions would have been submitted in advance, several days or weeks before the president’s engagement.
A question is scheduled for an update on the situation in the Gaza Strip, a day after international leaders gathered in the Egyptian city of Sharm El-Sheikh to sign a declaration for enduring peace in the region.
The heads of state of at least 27 nations were present, with hosts Egypt being the only representatives from the African continent.
Ramaphosa may use the opportunity to elaborate on the status of South Africa’s genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice and why he was snubbed from the peace process.
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