Political Parties Expect More Action and Less Talking at SONA, Expert Weighs In
- Political parties weighed in and shared that they are expecting President Cyril Ramaphosa to deliver more action and less talking
- Parties like the Inkatha Freedom Party and the ANC shared what they expected the president to say at the SONA
- Stellenbosch University's professor Amanda Gouws told Briefly News that the country is fed up with lack of delivery service
Tebogo Mokwena, a Briefly News current affairs journalist in Johannesburg, South Africa, has covered policy changes, the State of the Nation Address, politician-related news and elections at Daily Sun and Vutivi Business News for over seven years.
Source: Getty Images
Political parties have a high expectation for President Cyril Ramaphosa's State of the Nation Address. Parties expect Ramaphosa to deliver more actionable promises and less talk; some want to hold him accountable for the country's problems.
Stellenbosch University's professor Amanda Gouws told Briefly News that the nation is tired of a president they deem absent.
Political parties expect more from SONA
According to eNCA, the ruling party says the focus of the SONA will be service delivery and how the ANC-led government will recover where it poorly performed.
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The IFP's Mkhuleko Hlengwa said that the president must account for the past five years. He said the country has collapsed under his watch, unemployment is high and loadshedding is troublesome.
Stellenbosch University professor speaks to Briefly News
Professor Gouws told Briefly News that the country has lost faith in Ramaphosa.
"The ANC keeps losing support. Loadshedding continues and there is water shortage and a lack of delivery on basic needs issues. Unemployment remains high and we have a cost of living crisis. People are fed up with bad service delivery and a President seen as 'missing in action'."
What you need to know about the SONA
- The National Assembly revealed that R6.5 million was spent on the State of the Nation Address
- Julius Malema and five members of the Economic Freedom Fighters will not take part in the SONA because they were suspended for disturbing President Cyril Ramaphosa's speech last year
- Stellenbosch University's Professor Zwelinzima Ndevu is expecting the president to address the issue of Eskom and state-owned enterprises
South Africans are not hopeful
South Africans on Facebook remain hopeless about the SONA's outcome.
VJ Hasani Ramashia said:
"He will be lying again tonight. Zuma was better than this one."
Jennifer Clapham Rijkenberg pointed out:
"That's not how he rolls. More words and no action is more his style."
Philemon Mabuela added:
"They must call for his resignation. All SA political parties are eating with Cyril."
Pradeep Bull Heralla remarked:
"He must get a Grammy Award for lies."
Velocity Meme remarked:
"Ramaphosa is a demolisher, not a builder."
Economic Freedom Fighters battle Parliament suspension
In a similar article, Briefly News reported that the Economic Freedom Fighters challenged their Parliament suspension.
Six members were suspended after they disrupted President Cyril Ramaphosa's State of the Nation Address last year. South Africans supported Parliament's suspension and some wished that the party was banned from the SONA for good.
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Source: Briefly News
Tebogo Mokwena (Current Affairs editor) Tebogo Mokwena is a Current Affairs Editor at Briefly News. He has a Diploma in Journalism from ALISON. He joined Daily Sun, where he worked for 4 years covering politics, crime, entertainment, current affairs, policy, governance and art. He was also a sub-editor and journalist for Capricorn Post before joining Vutivi Business News in 2020, where he covered small business news policy and governance, analysis and profiles. He joined Briefly News in 2023. Tebogo passed a set of trainings by Google News Initiative Email: tebogo.mokwena@briefly.co.za
Amanda Gouws (Professor of Political Science at the University of Stellenbosch) Amanda Gouws holds a National Research Foundation Chair in Gender Politics. Her research focuses on women and citizenship, women’s movements and gender-based violence. Her books include Overcoming Political Intolerance in South Africa and (Un)Thinking Citizenship: Feminist Debates in Contemporary South Africa. Gouws’ latest book is Feminist Institutionalism in South Africa: Designing for Gender Equality. Gouws was a Commissioner for the South African Commission for Gender Equality (2012-2014).
