WATCH | Parties react to Ramaphosa’s SONA in spirited debate

SONA

Cape Town — Opposition parties have reacted to President Cyril Ramaphosa’s first State of the Nation Address (SONA) under the Government of National Unity (GNU).

Opposition party leaders, including the John Hlophe of the uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) and Julius Malema of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), criticised Ramaphosa for his leadership following the formation of the GNU.

Meanwhile, leaders of the parties within the GNU praised the new administration’s success and said the GNU has done well uniting South Africans and tackling key issues together.

John Hlophe criticised Ramaphosa but instead chose to pay tribute to his leader, Jacob Zuma. During his address, he claimed Ramaphosa was one of the worst leaders in South Africa’s history and instead called on Zuma’s presidency’s successes.

“During his tenure as head of state, President Zuma never told lies. He never claimed easy victories but prioritised the work on the ground and delivered services to our people,” Hlophe said.

EFF leader Julius Malema appealed to Ramaphosa to stand firm against the current onslaught by the USA, and he offered words of support to him. Malema said Ramaphosa needs to stay strong in the fight against Donald Trump and his efforts to cut ties with South Africa.

Malema said the government must not be fooled by the impression that the trump administration is responding to the recently enacted Expropriation Act and he agreed that South Africa should not be bullied by the US.

“We agree with you Mr President that we should not be bullied. We stand on the shoulders of giants who confronted the establishment with their very lives, and we are willing to follow in their footsteps. We are not cowards, and they must not try us,” said Malema.

Minister of Correctional Services, Pieter Groenewald, spoke about the current issues surrounding the Afrikaans population and said that Afrikaners have contributed to the land and will continue to play a role in the betterment of South Africa.

“We can only succeed to ensure that we are successful if we address our problems and we look each other in the eye and put the inconvenient truth on the table. We must ensure that we make South Africa so prosperous that people don’t want to leave South Africa to go to other countries,” he said.

He added that it was important to ensure that Afrikaans rights were acknowledged.

Among the other parties to voice their concerns over ongoing issues included BuildOne South Africa’s (BOSA) Mmusi Maimane, who called for a reduced cabinet and more funds allocated to policing to tackle crime.

African Transformation Movement (ATM) leader, Vuyolwethu Zungula, addressed the spaza shop crisis in the country and called on the government to take further action and implement harsher penalties against non-compliant spaza shops, saying registration of these shops will not solve the underlying issues.

The National Coloured Congress (NCC) leader, Fadiel Adams, called on greater protection for coloureds in the Cape Flats, and he called out Minister Steenhuisen for prioritising sheep and cattle over coloured lives.

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Compiled by Matthew Petersen

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