Sona Debate: ANC Jumps to Cyril Ramaphosa’s Defence As Opposition Parties Call for President’s Resignation

• The African National Congress has come to the defence of President Cyril Ramaphosa over his State of the Nation Address
• Opposition parties have been raking Ramaphosa over the coals, calling for the president to resign
• Energy Minister Gwede Manstashe slammed opposition parties for not taking part in finding solutions to SA's problems

CAPE TOWN - Opposition parties didn't pull any punches when they remarked on President Cyril Ramaphosa's State of the Nation Address on Tuesday, 14 January.

The parties took turns stepping up to the Cape Town City Hall podium to criticise Ramaphosa's leadership and even call for him to step down.

African National Congress members weren't having any of it and quickly came to the defence of their commander-in-chief.

Julius Malema calls for President Cyril Ramaphosa's removal from office

EFF leader Julius Malema led the charge in calling for President Ramaphosa's resignation. The Red Berets leader also slammed Ramaphosa for failing to address problems crippling the country, like rampant crime and unemployment.

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Sona debate: Energy minister Gwede Mantashe says new minister of electricity will be like a project manager

Malema said that nothing in South Africa was working under Ramaphosa's administration and that the president was sleeping on the job, according to EWN.

John Steenhuisen slams President Ramaphosa for 5 disastrous years of leadership

Democratic Alliance leader John Steenhuisen put Ramaphosa in the hotseat by saying the entirety of his administration amounted to nothing more than five years of disaster.

Steenhuisen lambasted Ramaphosa for selling South Africans a dream with his "New Dawn" idea, adding that things have only worsened under the president's leadership.

Gwede Mantashe slams opposition parties for refusing to be part of solutions

The Minister of Energy and Chairperson of the ANC, Gwede Mantashe, praised Ramaphosa's Sona, claiming it provided much-needed solutions to the nation's problems.

Mantashe's praise was echoed by Minister of Small Business Development Stella Ndabeni, who claimed that the president's address offered the country direction, SowetanLIVE reported.

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Sona debate 2023: John Steenhuisen slams President Cyril Ramaphosa’s administration as "5 years of disaster"

Mantashe slammed opposition parties for not coming to the table as part of the solution when the nation is in crisis mode.

South Africans have mixed reactions to opposition parties' criticism of Ramaphosa

While some people agreed with Steenhuisen and Malema's criticism, others questioned who would take over if Ramaphosa stepped down.

Below are some comments:

@makhanip commented:

"I seldomly agree with John, but in this instance, he is 100% on the money."

Gino Mb complained:

"I don't think anyone expected Ramaphosa to be such a failure. Most people, including myself, probably thought that he would be up to the job."

Honest Mbangamti claimed

"What worries me the most is that the majority of the opposition parties didn't debate the Sona. Instead, they debated the president and others hurled insults!"

Morne Botha said:

"The question you have to ask is WHO replaces him... the candidates are even worse. No one in ANC has proven themselves able to do anything."

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Sona debate 2023: EFF submits motion of no confidence in national speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula

Janny Magana demanded:

"Definitely, he must go!"

Gentle Breeze Cielo vowed:

"He must not go... we will remove the whole entire ANC next year."

Isaac Nkabinde slammed:

"Bunch of crybabies..."

Sona debate: Energy minister Gwede Mantashe says new Minister of Electricity will be like a project manager

In a related story, Briefly News reported that Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy Gwede Mantashe took the opportunity at the State of the Nation Address debate to clarify the new Minister of Electricity role.

This comes after President Cyril Ramaphosa announced at the Sona that he'll be appointing a Minister of Electricity in response to the Eskom energy crisis. The new minister will report to the Office of the Presidency.

Speaking at the Sona debate, Mantashe stated that there had been many questions about what the scope of work of the new Minister of Electricity will entail.

Source: Briefly News