SONA: A pathetic denial of government’s series of failures

8 February 2024

President Cyril Ramaphosa’s 2024 State of the Nation Address (SONA) was littered with a series of manipulated figures, “facts”, and lies by omission presented in an attempt to polish the image of the past 30 years of ANC rule. However, the president’s reference to so-called achievements, in terms of combating crime, reducing load shedding and successes in education, is a pitiful denial of the way in which the government is failing its citizens. However, the alarming levels of unemployment, school dropouts, poor school performance and the murder rate cannot be explained away with clever political talk, emphasises AfriForum.

SONA was, as expected, fraught with big promises, with no sign of learning from past mistakes or changing course.

Furthermore, the president’s “search for a pen” to sign the impugned National Health Insurance (NHI) bill is a shameful attempt to use the false promise of better health care to win a few votes, says the civil rights organisation.

The president’s emphasis on misguided policies such as NHI, excessive references to the need for more discrimination based on race, and increased state interference are indicative of a political party that would rather cling on to failed methods than to address the failures of the past 30 years and make adjustments.

“The saying goes that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. The only thing applying failed policies more intensely achieves is to bring about more intense failure,” says Ernst van Zyl, AfriForum’s Head of Public Relations.

“SONA 2024 once again shows that the centralised government and the ideologically driven political party at the helm are the main problems. The only possible solution to the current situation in South Africa, is devolution of power to community level. AfriForum therefore encourages communities to become more self-sufficient and independent from the state. With over 170 neighbourhood and farm watches, more than 160 branches nationwide, and tens of thousands of volunteers on community level, AfriForum is lighting the way for fresh, alternative solutions,” concludes Van Zyl.

Issued by Ernst van Zyl, Head: Public Relations, AfriForum, 8 February 2024