Durban — South Africans are tired of “empty promises”, President Cyril Ramaphosa.
This was the rallying call by civil groups on Wednesday before Ramaphosa’s State of the Nation Address (Sona) during a parliamentary sitting at the City Hall in Cape Town tonight.
Ramaphosa must have a plan for focused and realistic help for businesses and individuals left floundering by the stagnant economy and the collapse of Eskom and state services, they said.
Much has been written and said in the media about what the president is expected to say, and what he ought to say to South Africans as Parliament opens for 2023.
In KwaZulu-Natal, leaders of different community organisations advised the president to tell the nation what he has been able to achieve, not to keep telling the nation what he is still going to do.
Diakonia Council of Churches chairperson Reverend Ian Booth did not mince his words, saying it is now time for more action than talking.
“Every year the president keeps making the same promises, which are never fulfilled.
“As religious leaders, we recently met President Ramaphosa and asked him to come back with results of what he has achieved.”
Booth further said that a new kind of crime – whereby kidnappers are targeting ordinary members of society, kidnap them and demand ransom – has reared its ugly head, which is a result of hunger caused by unemployment.
“The country is tired of their empty promises after 29 long years of being in government,” he said.
SA Community Crime Watch (SACCW) KwaZulu-Natal spokesperson Steven King said Ramaphosa should take decisive action regarding social ills prevalent in the country.
“Unless Ramaphosa realises that he is in control of a broken bus, there is no chance this country will ever be fixed.
“He will have to make difficult decisions if he wants to make this country work again.”
Ramaphosa had to forget that he was the leader of the ANC and focus more on corrective measures, King said.
“Unless he does that, crime and the high rate of unemployment will not go away. Ramaphosa has been given a second chance, therefore he must use it. Police should be the first line of defence, not for them to be guarded by private security.”
The leader of the Denis Hurley Centre, Raymond Perrier, said the president had to genuinely deliver on his claim that he wanted to root out corruption.
“Ramaphosa should focus on job creation for ordinary people, not only focusing on high-end jobs.”
The president should always remember that there were a number of aspects where NGOs could assist the government on social upliftment, and should put more funding into these organisations to make them centres of community development, he said.
EDUCATION
Parents Association of KZN chairperson Vee Gani said education was the most important aspect of every society, and therefore the government should put more resources into it. A lot of children were still dropping out of school, resulting in them having bleak futures.
Gani also decried the failing infrastructure, saying many government schools from poorer communities are falling apart because there is no money to repair them.
The high unemployment rate was affecting a lot of people, resulting in children from poor families performing poorly in school, he said.
“Many communities are suffering from a lack of water, lack of electricity, and a high crime rate as many come from crime-ridden communities.
“Some of these children come from households that don’t even have food.
“The president needs to address this because it is a known fact that well-resourced schools always produce well-rounded individuals.
“He needs to employ people who know what they are doing. People who are competent in the jobs they are supposed to perform.”
Ramaphosa should also take action against corrupt officials if he wanted to root out corruption, Gani said.
“Most of the time, the president looks like he doesn’t know what he is doing. As a result, this country has no direction. Maybe it is time the voters gave somebody else a chance to rule this country,” Gani said.
BUSINESS
Prasheen Maharaj, president of The Durban Chamber of Commerce and Industry NPC, said the chamber would be paying close attention to the critical issues that would, hopefully, be covered by Ramaphosa. It was eagerly awaiting solutions to be presented, as well as the implementation of these solutions – and, more importantly, the timeline.
Maharaj said they anticipated that Ramaphosa would speak about load shedding, water, sanitation and infrastructure issues, port operations as well as crime and corruption.
After the president’s last address to the nation, he had referred to the Build, Operate and Transfer model, he said.
“The chamber seeks clear timelines and plans for the Build, Operate and Transfer model. We believe the private sector is readily available to invest in large infrastructure projects that will stimulate economic growth and solve South Africa’s unemployment, poverty and inequality challenges.
“Eskom is a critical state infrastructure and cannot be left to operate in disarray and fall into mismanagement. Load shedding is placing added pressure on businesses and the overall economy, because Eskom’s unit breakdowns are resulting in a number of operational challenges across sectors nationally.”
Ramaphosa had addressed the issue of Eskom previously, but there had been no tangible solution felt on the ground, he said.
“We continue to be deeply concerned about Durban’s water and sanitation crisis. Damaged water infrastructure, sewage leaks and the ongoing closure of Durban’s beaches are creating a poor perception of the city. It has the potential to affect the tourism sector and its entire value chain negatively. The pace of infrastructure restoration and services recovery is slow, causing immeasurable damage to the ecosystem and particularly the tourism sector.”
Maharaj said addressing the challenges and operational inefficiencies at ports was a major step towards improving South Africa’s export competitiveness.
“The ocean economy and the maritime sector are considered to offer several benefits to the city and South Africa in the future.
“Issues of congestion and inefficiencies require both the private and public sectors to work together to resolve.”
He said that the crime and grime in Durban’s inner city were a concern.
“Most of the work that needs to be done in the area has to do with urban management for crime and grime, security, cleanliness, bad buildings and rough sleepers. The current status is sufficient motivation for the city and the province of KwaZulu-Natal to recognise its reputation is open to destruction if these issues are not adequately addressed,” he said.
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