PRETORIA, SOUTH AFRICA APRIL 13: Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Des van Rooyen says answers questions about the countrys readiness for the local government elections during a media briefing on April 13, 2016 in Pretoria, South Africa. Van Rooyen dismissed growing fears that the elections would be postponed amid political turmoil the governing ANC and some uncertainty regarding validity of the addresses of millions of voters. (Photo by Gallo Images / Beeld / Theana Breugem)
The uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party has slammed President Cyril Ramaphosa’s State of the Nation Address (Sona), saying South Africa has deteriorated since he became president.
As MPs debated Ramaphosa’s Sona on Tuesday, the MK party’s Des Van Rooyen said state institutions began to collapse in 2018, when Ramaphosa took office.
“Rail capacity declined after you took over in February 2018. Gini coefficient worsened after you took over… energy supply collapsed from 2020 and turned into rolling blackouts,” he said.
Van Rooyen said Jacob Zuma was a far better president than Ramaphosa, despite the rampant state capture under his two terms as head of state.
“The president speaks of rebuilding institutions after state capture but these institutions, Mr President, deteriorated after what you call nine wasted years,” he said.
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Ramaphosa accused of giving empty promises
Van Rooyen said Ramaphosa’s Sona had nothing new.
“MK says it was not the State of the Nation Address it was the state of intent address. It described plans committees, task teams, another investment summit and what government hopes to do.
“It failed to report and account to the nation about the performance of the disunited, so-called government of national unity (GNU). A nation in crisis, honourable chairperson, cannot be governed by intention.
“In 2018 the president started his tenure with the ‘Thuma Mina’ slogan and he then went on to introduce South Africans to an imaginary story of Tintswalo under this slogan, and in the story we have only heard promises,” he said.
He said reports of water supply challenges in Johannesburg are an indication that Ramaphosa and his government have failed to deliver the most basic services.
“In rural provinces, families are still sharing stream water with animals and their calls for reliable sanitation have fallen on deaf ears because of a lack of commitment by the GNU.”
Van Rooyen said the GNU has also failed to ensure that students face problems with registration and accommodation at the beginning of the academic year.
“Even young people with qualifications sit at home and they are excluded from the economy. This is not what we must celebrate.”
Van Rooyen said ordinary South Africans are not seeing the results of Ramaphosa’s claims of economic growth.
“South Africa’s population grows faster than its economy. If a nation’s economy grows slower than its population it is not progressive, Mr President.”
He said more South Africans have fallen into poverty.
MK party warning for local government elections
Van Rooyen said voters will punish the ANC at the upcoming local government elections because of these challenges.
“They say because of GNU, where you work with people that are opposed to BBBEE and the transformation agenda, your party will be voted out, and no amount of vote rigging will deter them. They say they want an alternative government that will grow their country’s economy, create jobs, fight crime, combat illegal immigration and remove them from apartheid created poverty trends,” he said.
“We are warning you, no we are hoping, that you are not going to come after the elections and say the results shocked you,” he said.
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