SONA ‘big on promises, short on delivery’

OWN CORRESPONDENT

Madeleine Hicklin, Democratic Alliance member of parliament

Cyril Ramaphosa wasted another golden opportunity to show he has a backbone and the interests of South Africa at heart. He paid the most attention to the least compelling challenges, leaving Eskom’s rolling blackouts, expropriation without compensation, jail terms for those found guilty of corruption, and the bailout of a failed airline with little to no attention. The Eskom solution he proposed originated in the DA: the unbundling of Eskom, and the introduction of independent power producers selling additional power into the grid has been suppressed by Gwede Mantashe for years.

Ramaphosa is big on promises, and very short on delivery. The most honest comment he made was that the government couldn’t solve our economic challenges alone. But we at least need an enabling, capable society to seek aid. Holding summits and forging alliances are great, but without a capable state and capable leadership, they are meaningless. He is an incapable man heading up an incapable state.

Chaya Singer, parliamentary and diplomatic liaison for the South African Jewish Board of Deputies

I attend SONA each year to look beyond the pomp and ceremony and focus on government’s proposed agenda for the year, and how it will affect our community. This year, the stakes felt high, and in an age of much-needed austerity and reform, the cutbacks seemed to extend only as far as the replacement of opulent floral arrangements with a #SONA2020 photo-op prop on the red carpet. The presiding officers were determined that the rules of the house be upheld, marking a new political climate, which will probably result in a revision of the rules that won’t allow for the hijacking of proceedings in future. There was a tone of realism in the president’s address that we haven’t experienced in previous SONAs, but there were none of the surprises or radical announcements feared or hoped for by stakeholders. The takeaway was mildly optimistic, with the recognition that solutions are going to take time, and have to be done within the law. The upcoming Budget speech will determine the tachlis (real) direction of government spending and strategic priorities.

Sol Cowan, former Johannesburg ANC councillor

SONA, by its very definition, is where the country is, and a plan for it going forward.

The problem with the 2020 SONA was that it was short on detail in two important aspects, namely Eskom and the economy. Nowhere in the SONA is there a magic wand that details how the R450 billion debt is going to be dealt with, how funding for the entity is going to be guaranteed in the future, and where such funding will come from.

Economic growth is critical to address the problem of unemployment and various other issues. Nowhere does the speech detail what policies are needed to kickstart the economy in order to achieve growth, especially sustainable growth over a long period of time.

In conclusion, the speech does harp on Mandela’s principles of non-racism, which is a good sign as opposed to former President Jacob Zuma’s rhetoric on radical economic transformation and black nationalism.

Steven Gruzd, analyst at the South African Institute of International Affairs

Domestically focused, SONA isn’t the place for foreign policy pronouncements. Nevertheless, Ramaphosa made mention of South Africa chairing the African Union and its tenure on the United Nations Security Council. It will oversee the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area, and push for women’s rights.

Said Ramaphosa, “Through the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM), South Africa will work with other countries to advance good governance and democracy.” The APRM is a golden chance for South Africa to scrutinise its governance shortcomings frankly. Will it do so honestly and openly though?