THE proverbial boot is expected to be on the other foot when President Cyril Ramaphosa provides his response to opposition parties in the State-of-the-Nation Address (Sona) Debate, at 2pm, on Thursday.
Or will he side-step certain aspects of issues that have been percolating recently, including SANDF troops presence in the DRC and its US-relations and some long-standing ones like the National Health Insurance and others?
On Wednesday, the MK Party and EFF were the main protagonists who punched holes in his Ramaphosa’s Sona speech that was delivered last week.
They described his speech as lacking an assessment of past commitments and full of empty promises.
Speaking during the debate on Wednesday, the MK party’s MP Nhlamulo Ndhlela said Ramaphosa had spoken like someone who delivered his maiden speech with recycled promises and hollow rhetoric.
Ndhlela said the annual address should not be a ceremonial platform for “lofty” promises.
“It should be a moment of accountability where the nation hears an honest assessment of past commitments and concrete plans for the future,” he said.
While the MK Party mourned the 14 SANDF soldiers who died in the DRC, Ndhela said they did not die defending South Africa’s sovereignty but were there to protect the government’s economic interests.
“The least you could have done was to equip them better, yet you let your incompetent and less-caring finance minister keep defunding the military budget. Their blood is on the hands of a government that prioritises profits over the people – a failed state.”
Ndhlela, who repeatedly stated that Ramaphosa was leading a failed state, took a swipe at land reform issues and said the recent signing of the Expropriation Act by Ramaphosa was a re-branded Apartheid relic of the repackaged 1975 legislation.
“It is the same apartheid wine in a different bottle. The MK Party will not endorse half-baked legislation. We will push for an amendment of Section 25 of the Constitution to enable genuine land expropriation without compensation, to return the land to our people.”
EFF MP Omphile Maotwe said Ramaphosa made promises every year without accounting for the promises he made the previous year.
“It is as if he is permanently on the reset button and the sad thing is every time he opens his mouth more and more people become statistics of unemployment, poverty, rape and murder.
“Mr Ramaphosa, why don’t you rather keep quiet and look after your Ankole
in Phala-Phala farm because you are an elephant in the room,” Maotwe said.
She said that Ramaphosa had stated since 2018 that he had a plan for critical areas of investment.
“What was he talking about because since then we have seen nothing but suffering, deepening unemployment and rising cost of living rising.”
Maotwe said there was need for the expropriation of land without compensation and the urgent establishment of a state bank.
“We need to finalise the nationalisation of the SARB (South African Reserve Bank). We have no time to waste on that. We need to establish a grant for all unemployed graduates and all unemployed persons as a matter of urgency,” Maotwe said.
In an apparent response to MK Partyand EFF criticism, ANC MP Cameron Dugmore took a swipe at the ANC’s breakaway parties.
Dugmore laughed off the MK Party’s demand for the removal of Ramaphosa as ANC leader if both parties were to enter into coalition and the Jacob Zuma-led party’s prediction of the death of the GNU (Government of National Unity).
“The implosion of MK Party has begun. The Twitter war amongst unelected leaders is going on,” he said in reference to a social media spat between Zuma’s daughter Duduzile ZumaSambudla and the party’s Secretary General Floyd Shivambu.
Dugmore also questioned how the EFF would have thought that it would be a trusted party.
“Their leader is central to the internal conflict within the EFF,” he said.
Also speaking during the Sona debate, Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi noted some critics and doomsayers of the NHI (National Health Insurance) still persisted with their denial, despite Ramaphosa indicating they will proceed with the preparatory work for the establishment of the public health policy.
He named DA MP Mat Cuthbert, who, during the debate on Monday, said he was delighted the NHI was not in the medium-term development plan.
“Sorry sir, it is there and it ought to be there and it is going to continue to be there,” Motsoaledi said.
Motsoaledi agreed with IFP leader Velenkosini Hlabisa who has asked that NHI be more incrementally implemented.
“You are spot on. We agree with you 100% because what you put as a new proposal is actually section 57.1 (B) in the NHI Act … If there are no financial resources in the country, you can’t implement and the Act says so,” he said.
DA MP Dean Macpherson used his speech during the debate to list successes of the Public Works and Infrastructure Department and its planned activities.
Macpherson said vacant state-owned properties have been released for a request for proposal, inviting public and private properties to submit ideas in a major policy shift.
“In our first round, we will release 31 properties for redevelopment, valued at R1.4billion. This is estimated to generate up to R10bn in private investment, create over 165000 jobs and generate close to R200 million in rental income for the South African government.”
He also said they will finalise reforms to the Expanded Public Works Programme to ensure it led to permanent employment and skills development.
DAILY NEWS