Nkosikhulule Nyembezi
Cape Town - Ignore the ANC government’s grand claims in the State of the Nation Address (Sona) that today our economy is larger than before the pandemic, as this will be another year of hardship.
Even if the president says he has ended the economic growth freeze, many South Africans are still deep in a poverty squeeze.
The president came into the chamber with great optimism.
Still, he needed to do several things to ensure his optimism is more than just hot air.
The first should have been to shore up the economic recovery with a significant investment package to double or triple the one-and-a-half million new jobs created between the third quarters of 2021 and 2022.
The second should have been to announce clear plans to involve ordinary people in overcoming the electricity crisis, instead of painting us as passive spectators.
The third should have been to go beyond providing social grants to protect struggling families battered by crime, unemployment and poverty.
Suppose the president was serious about significantly boosting economic recovery and taking full responsibility for rebuilding the country’s social capital.
In that case, his speech should have prioritised people by excising from the government corrupt and inefficient individuals, cutting the red tape, forging a social compact and looking after the planet for generations to come.
So did he do enough?
He disappointed. The seventh annual report by Ramaphosa was not a plausible account for the “new dawn” – it was back to the old errors of two decades ago. At this rate, the economic growth freeze and poverty squeeze will continue to hurt us until we vote for visionary and decisive leadership that will harness our energies for a better future.
The president’s speech moved people around to create the illusion of action. Yet, he did not even name the minister of electricity he intended to appoint. Instead of being innovative, Ramaphosa conveniently said he was not presenting new plans.
His speech raised doubts about whether the government will fully implement its fanfare plans in the remaining months of the office term, institute strong central co-ordination and take decisive action capable of whatever needs to be done in a crisis.
It also raised more doubts about whether the yet-to-be-reconstituted Cabinet will effectively harness a single point of command and a single line of march, or will amplify ANC disunity.
After getting to the tricky part of having little success to show for the past promises, including the failure to conclude a social compact, Ramaphosa was able to focus on the good news, including plans for a tax incentive for the installations of rooftop solar panels in households and businesses.
But if the ANC’s position is to try to steal the DA’s ideas on boosting private spending on renewable energy sources, there were hints of several areas it wants to neutralise by the time of the next election.
These include his announcement of the launch of full-scale construction works for the Lesotho Highlands Phase Two project and the imminent commencement of the first phase of the Umzimvubu Water Project, which will start in the next financial year.
However, given Ramaphosa’s indecisiveness, signs suggest adding more promises to the list could hurt the party on the doorstep this time.
The ANC strategy of making a long list of promises to improve people’s lives will ultimately succeed only if people feel they are better off.
With high unemployment and poverty and the cost of living crisis continuing to bite, that is far from guaranteed.
Little in this speech does what it claims to do, to fortify a nation defined by hope and resilience: optimism is free, but the price of everything else is rising.
The president’s spin will mask the holes in his uninspiring plan. But we should not believe him. Instead, we must use our hope and resilience to return power to the people.
Nyembezi is a researcher, policy analyst and human rights activist.
Cape Times
* The views expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of IOL or Independent Media.