Cape Town — President Cyril Ramaphosa has reflected on the triumphs and struggles South Africans have faced in the previous year, as the country celebrates thirty years since the birth of democracy.
In his weekly newsletter, From the Desk of the President, Ramaphosa said considerable progress has been made in building a constitutional order based on freedom, equality and human rights for all.
“We held our seventh successful, free and fair general elections since 1994. It was a landmark poll, with an unprecedented 70 political parties contesting. The election was a credit to the Independent Electoral Commission, which acquitted itself with distinction, the political parties who campaigned in a spirit of respect and tolerance, and to all South Africans who exercised their right to vote,” Ramaphosa said.
Ramaphosa explained the evolvement and maturity of the democracy and said the Government of National Unity (GNU) has shown three strategic priorities of the seventh administration. These priorities include growing the economy and job creation, reducing poverty tackling the high cost of living and strengthening the capacity of the state to deliver on its mandate.
He praised the country for going 250 days without loadshedding due to increased maintenance and generation recovery by Eskom. He praised the National Energy Crisis Committee for their work to get more power onto the grid.
Extra work has also been done to recover commuter rail following a rise in theft and vandalism during Covid-19.
“Stations have been refurbished, new state-of-the-art trains are on the tracks, and 31 out of 40 key passenger corridors are now operational. There were 40 million commuter rail passengers in the last financial year, up from 15 million passengers the previous year,” he said.
Ramaphosa acknowledged the high level of unemployment as more South Africans look to find jobs, prioritising administration to reduce poverty and tackle the high cost of living.
We are nearing the end of another year, marked by both triumphs and struggles.
We celebrated thirty years since the birth of our democratic nation. We reflected on the considerable progress we have made in building a constitutional order anchored on freedom, equality and human… pic.twitter.com/4S35xpNuUE
— Cyril Ramaphosa 🇿🇦 (@CyrilRamaphosa) December 9, 2024
“Consumer inflation is at a four-year low, making essential goods like fuel and most food staples more affordable. Over the past twelve months, fuel prices have come down,” he added.
Ramaphosa said 60% of the national budget is dedicated to the “social wage” – measures to reduce poverty and improve people’s lives, and the provision of grants to vulnerable and unemployed people. The government has been able to sustain these measures even as public finances are under severe pressure.
The third strategic priority of this administration is to strengthen the capacity of the state to deliver on its mandate which includes efforts to improve the capacity and capability of the state to deliver basic services.
He touched on the difficulties many South Africans faced including the deaths of foodborne illnesses, slow economic growth and families who struggle with the high cost of living.
Additionally, crime statistics have remained high with crime and violence rife in many communities. Water and electricity supply remain a problem in communities and municipalities, plagued by poor governance and financial constraints.
“These are the challenges we are grappling with. We have identified local government as a major focus in this administration. Through initiatives like the Presidential eThekwini Working Group, we are bringing all stakeholders together to solve local problems,” he said.
With South Africa preparing to host the G20 Summit next year, he said it was a key opportunity to address issues faced by countries throughout the world.
“We will seek common solutions that improve the lives of all our people Overcoming poverty and underdevelopment, creating more jobs, and addressing societal ills like gender-based violence requires that we must all play our part, where we can,” he said.
“On many fronts, this year has been better than the last. We will build on these achievements in 2025,” he concluded.
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Compiled by Matthew Petersen
