Ramaphosa ‘the worst in terms of concrete results’

President Cyril Ramaphosa’s State of the Nation Address (Sona) embodied how little progress hasten made during his tenure in office, with experts pointing to its lack of substance, how short it had fallen in addressing youth unemployment and how he had overlooked the contribution made by tourism to the economy.

Failed to fix SA’s many challenges

The Black Sash said he had failed to fix the country’s many challenges.

During what opposition parties maintained marked his last speech at the helm of government ahead of this year’s national and provincial polls, Ramaphosa said the past 30 years of ANC governance had:

• Cast off the tyranny of apartheid and built a democratic state, based on the will of the people;
• Established strong institutions to protect the fundamental freedoms and human rights of all people;
• Transformed the lives of millions of South Africans, providing the necessities of life, opportunities, which never existed before;
• Enabled a diverse economy, whose minerals, agricultural products and manufactured goods reached every corner of the world, creating jobs; and
• Returned to the community of nations, extending a hand of peace and friendship to all countries and all peoples.

In the forefront of interacting with people at the coalface of poverty and hardship, Black Sash was unimpressed, saying Ramaphosa “affirmed that yet another year has passed with little progress being made on the numerous plans he outlines in his yearly Sona”.

Open letter from civil society

Citing a failure to implement the Zondo commission recommendations, addressing unemployment, extending a right to social assistance, not prioritising the welfare of the poor and devaluing the child support grant, Black Sash said it had endorsed an open letter to Ramaphosa from civil society partners.

The letter highlighted “the discrepancies between commitments made in previous Sona events and the actual allocation of resources by National Treasury”.

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Unilateral budget cuts to mitigate fiscal consolidation went “against the priority of the government to advance socioeconomic rights, economic growth and previous government achievements”.

“Failure to make any tangible progress in fixing South Africa’s many challenges is having a devastating impact on the lives of the poor and marginalised,” it said.

“During every year that the government fails to deliver on its promises, [it] contributes towards a disaster of poverty and despair, which is being seen increasingly in many communities.

“These communities fight daily to survive, often failing, going to bed hungry, only to rise in the morning to face yet another day of hunger and uncertainty,” said Black Sash.

Ramaphasa the ‘worst president in terms of concrete results’

Independent political analyst Sandile Swana said while Jacob Zuma had been “a bad president”, Ramaphosa was “the worst in terms of concrete results”.

“According to the Harvard University study of SA’s 30 years of democracy, the situation got worse during the Ramaphosa tenure. Under his watch, we have seen a failed party, running a failed state.”

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Concerned about tourism not having featured in Sona, Federated Hospitality Association of Southern Africa chair Rosemary Anderson said: “This oversight of tourism’s immense potential for job creation and economic growth is baffling.

“The president spoke fervently about business needing to create more jobs.

“Yet his administration continues implementing obstacles that actively hinder the tourism and hospitality industry’s ability to meet this goal.”

Youth employment

Nkosinathi Mahlangu, youth employment portfolio head at Momentum Metropolitan, said Ramaphosa “fell short on youth employment”.

“There were not many tangibles. There were vague references to employment opportunities [and there’s] a big difference between job opportunities and actual jobs.”