Ramaphosa’s ‘Tintswalo’ SONA story gets SA talking

ANC

Cape Town — Following the conclusion of President Cyril Ramaphosa’s State of the Nation Address (SONA), many South Africans did not take kindly to his story about “Tintswalo”.

During his speech, Ramaphosa told a story about a fictional child of democracy called Tintswalo, whose life has supposedly been improved drastically by 30 years of ANC.

However, many South Africans think Ramaphosa’s story was a slap in the face of many struggling South Africans who face many difficulties including school opportunities, jobs, starting businesses, access to healthcare, and financial stability, IOL reported.

Ramaphosa delivered the last SONA of the sixth administration in front of the National Assembly and National Council of Provinces at the Cape Town City Hall on Thursday.

In an effort to show people the success of the ANC over the last 30 years, he used Tintswalo as an example.

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“Tintswalo’s formative years were spent in a house provided by the state, one of millions of houses built to shelter the poor. Tintswalo grew up in a household provided with basic water and electricity, in a house where her parents were likely to have lived without electricity before 1994.” Ramaphosa said.

“Tintswalo was enrolled in a school in which her parents did not have to pay school fees, and each school day she received a nutritious meal as part of a programme that today supports 9 million learners from poor families. The democratic state provided a child support grant to meet her basic needs. This grant, together with other forms of social assistance, continues to be a lifeline for more than 26 million South Africans every month.”

Ramaphosa continued that Tintswalo finished High School and received tertiary education at a TVET college, through the assistance of the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS). Tintswalo then started working and with her income, she was able to save, to start a family, to move into a better house, and to live a better life,” he added.

Ramaphosa said this was the story of many South Africans since the dawn of democracy, and many South Africans took to X to express their grievances.

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Compiled by Matthew Petersen

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