President Cyril Ramaphosa said great strides have been achieved in the past 30 years, to grow the economy that is inclusive to all South Africans.
This according to President Cyril Ramaphosa who delivered the State of the Nation Address (SONA) at the Cape Town City Hall, on Thursday evening.
“Over the past five years, we have worked to revive our economy from a decade of stagnation and protect it from both domestic and global shocks.
We have made progress, and our economy is today three times larger than it was 30 years ago.
The number of South Africans in employment increased from 8 million in 1994 to over 16.7 million now,” said Ramaphosa.
He said he is delighted that over the past two years, the number of jobs created has increased every quarter, and that there are more people in employment than before the pandemic.
Ramaphosa however noted that despite this, “the country’s unemployment rate is the highest it has ever been.”
Ramaphosa said the process hasn’t been smoothly as anticipated, adding that there have times when events at home have shaken the foundations of the constitutional democracy.
According to Ramaphosa, the greatest damage to this was caused during the era of state capture.
“Billions of rands that were meant to meet the needs of ordinary South Africans were stolen.
Confidence in our country was badly eroded and public institutions were severely weakened.
The effects of state capture continue to be felt across society, from the shortage of freight locomotives to crumbling public services, from the poor performance of our power stations to failed development projects,” explained Ramaphosa.
He said more than 200 people are being prosecuted, billions of rand recovered and measures to revamp the judiciary and other law enforcement authorities.
Other events that he said tried to derail democracy was the July 2021 unrest and the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ramaphosa said one of the major challenges the country had to address, is gender-based violence and femicide which we characterised as the second pandemic.
“As the government, we have introduced laws and directed more resources to prosecuting perpetrators, providing better support to survivors, and promoting women’s economic empowerment.
“As a society, we must intensify our collective efforts to bring gender-based violence and femicide to an end,” appealed Ramaphosa.
The President expressed concern about the high youth unemployment and their socio-economic situation, noting that millions of young people aged 15 to 24 years are currently not in employment, education, or training.
“There are many who have a matric, a diploma or a degree who cannot find a job, or do not have the means to start a business.
“While economic growth is essential to reduce unemployment, we cannot wait to provide the work that many of democracy’s children need.
“As a government we have taken steps to address the youth unemployment challenge,” said Ramaphosa.
He added that over the past three years the government has launched the Presidential Employment Stimulus and the Presidential Youth Employment Intervention that has created more than a million work and livelihood opportunities.
Ramaphosa also emphasized that the government is implementing plans to urgently address the energy crisis and is making gains, with the end of load shedding finally within reach.
“Last year, we implemented a major debt relief package which will enable Eskom to make investments in maintenance and transmission infrastructure and ensure its sustainability going forward,” said the President.
The President said the contentious National Health Insurance (NHI) will provide free health care at the point of care for all South Africans, whether in public or private health facilities.
He highlighted that once signed into law, the plan will be incrementally implemented to deal with issues like health system financing, the health workforce, medical products, vaccines and technologies, and health information systems.
According to Ramaphosa, the participation of previously disadvantaged black people has increased, and black ownership stands at approximately 39% when compared with 2% in 2004.
Other achievements highlighted by the president include among others water supply, increase in life expectancy, building of more health facilities, antiretroviral treatment, and subsidised housing.
On an international front, the president said South Africa will continue to support the Palestinians fight for freedom, reiterating that this can only be achieved by a two-State solution between Israel and Palestine and condemn the killing of civilians.
“Guided by the fundamental principle of human rights and freedom, we have taken up the Palestinian cause to prevent further deaths and destruction in Gaza.
“We have welcomed the ruling of the International Court of Justice that Israel must take all measures within its power to prevent acts of genocide against Palestinians.
“We condemn the killing of civilians on all sides and call on all parties involved in the conflict to commit to a peace process that will deliver a two-state solution,” explained Ramaphosa.
This is the last SONA of the 6th democratic administration, and Ramaphosa described the last five years as a time of recovery, rebuilding, and renewal.
