President Cyril Ramaphosa said as the country continues to overcome the legacy of the past, it will also rise to meet its current challenges of unemployment, poverty, crime, gender-based violence, rising food prices and a severe electricity crisis.
He said to address these challenges, the government is at work to rebuild the economy and the society in the wake of the devastating COVID-19 pandemic.
The president was delivering his New Year’s message to the nation.
“Notwithstanding the many setbacks that we have had to confront, our economy has proven to be resilient, and is now larger than it was before the pandemic struck.
Under difficult conditions, we have recovered the jobs lost due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
While we experienced some of the worst load shedding ever in the first few months of 2023, through an intense focus on implementing the Energy Action Plan, there has since been a steady decline in the severity of load shedding,” said Ramaphosa.
The president highlighted that through several measures, there’s a massive new investment in energy generation and in the installation of rooftop solar.
He cited local businesses and international investors in the country, as the country continues to attract new investment, which supports the growth of local businesses and creates more jobs.
Ramaphosa said the government is making progress in the fight against corruption, including bringing those responsible for state capture to justice.
“We are putting in place laws, institutions and practices that reduce the potential for corruption.
To build communities that are safe and secure, the South African Police Service has established specialised task teams to tackle organised and violent crime, as well as crimes of economic sabotage.
To bolster our fight against criminality we have trained and continue to train thousands of new police men and women,”
In advancing our country’s development, we will remain engaged in matters of global concern.
This includes a call for a ceasefire in Gaza and support for Palestinians.
“We have maintained a principled position against the continued oppression of the Palestinian people and reaffirmed our support for their quest for full nationhood.
We are deeply concerned by the onslaught against the residents of Gaza and the West Bank.
We condemn all violence against civilians, both Palestinian and Israeli,” explained the president.
Ramaphosa paid tribute to the courage, resilience, and determination of South Africans, “who have shown time and again their ability to rise above difficulty and to embrace their common humanity.”
He alluded to the victory of the Springboks at the Rugby World Cup, Special Olympians, and Banyana Banyana’s performance at the FIFA World Cup.
As the country enters 2024, Ramaphosa urged citizens to have hope and optimism.
“In 2024, we will mark 30 years since we attained our freedom. This freedom we attained ushered in enormous changes in our country.
As we reflect on our journey over three decades, we are reminded of how far we have come and of the important progress we have made together,” said Ramaphosa.
