PRESIDENT Cyril Ramaphosa’s commitments made on Thursday continue to draw mixed reactions from various quarters on Friday.
Speaking during his State of the Nation Address (SONA), Ramaphosa made an array of promises that ranged from reforms, growing the economy, and fighting corruption, among other things.
He said as part of the government reform agenda, they will continue to enhance the visa system to make it easier for skilled people to invest in our country and to grow tourism.
“This year, we will launch an Electronic Travel Authorisation system to enable a secure, fully digital visa application process.”
Ramaphosa also said the government will also ensure the Investigating Directorate Against Corruption is fully resourced and has access to the information that it needed to prosecute state capture cases and hold those responsible to account.
The Department of Justice and Constitutional Development will report on the review of the anti-corruption architecture by the National Anti-Corruption Advisory Council.
“We will finalise the whistle-blower protection framework and introduce the Whistle-blower Protections Bill in Parliament during this financial year. This year, we will strengthen South Africa’s system to combat money laundering and terror financing with further legislative and system improvements,” he said.
Business Unity South Africa said SONA reaffirmed and reinvigorated the government’s commitment to the reform agenda spearheaded by Operation Vulindlela and supported by business.
He also said it highlighted the urgent need to prioritise the water crisis, address the dysfunctionality of municipalities, and to facilitate private sector investment in infrastructure.
“All of these measures are needed to raise economic growth above the – necessarily – ambitious target of 3%. With all the global uncertainty at present, we must ensure our economy is resilient and well-structured at home,” CEO Khulekani Mathe said.
Mathe said while the speech did not introduce many new ideas, it served an important purpose by reassuring the public that successful government programmes will continue under the new administration.
The Institute of Race Relations (IRR) added that Ramaphosa’s SONA laid out ambitious growth targets for South Africa over the next few years but without a commitment to real reform and scrapping growth-destroying policies.
IRR analyst Marius Roodt said any commitments to rapid economic growth ring hollow while growth-destroying policies remain on the table.
“SONA speeches over the last 15 years or so have been long on promises but the government has been short on delivery. Without real commitment to proper reform, this will remain the case.
“And when it gets down to it, the 3% economic growth target identified by the president is not ambitious enough. We must aim for growth of 5% or higher. And that cannot happen in the current policy environment,” said Roodt.
The Public Servants Association (PSA) said while it welcomed Ramaphosa’s emphasis on unity, cooperation, and economic recovery, the union remains concerned about the practical implementation of key policies, particularly those that directly impact public servants and the broader working class.
“The PSA fully supports the call for a government that works for the people, built upon a professional, ethical, and competent public service.
“Government’s commitment to strengthening the Public Service Commission and improving graduate recruitment must, however, be coupled with tangible action,” it added.
Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (OUTA) said Ramaphosa’s SONA would go down as one of the longest hot air and uninspiring speeches in ages.
OUTA executive director Stefanie Fick said much of the speech centred around fixing that which should not have been broken in the first place such as rail, ports, hospitals, and more.
“Many of the plans to address municipal degradation and water security have been spoken about before, and yet nothing changes. For decades, our towns and cities have been in decline, whilst these same promises have been made. How are we expected to believe a president who has not delivered in the past?” Fick asked.