SONA 2013: President Zuma fails to maintain South Africa's confidence

We stand together today to express our extreme disappointment in President Zuma's 2013 State of the Nation Address. 

President Zuma needed to provide South Africans with an inspiring vision for a future, a realistic plan to get us there, and clear, determinable deadlines to which he could be held to account. We got none of this last night.

We were promised action; we only got more of the same broken promises. 

He is clearly not South Africa's ‘action man.'

South Africans wanted to hear about his plan to create more jobs for young South Africans; but we received assurances instead of commitments. He re-hashed old plans on infrastructure, was blatantly misleading on stability in the mining sector, and provided no new ideas on a way forward to ensure the growth of our economy. 

South Africans wanted to hear about how the criminal justice system will be improved to help ensure that the shocking violence facing so many South Africans is finally put to an end; but we received no new plans to improve policing or ensure more special detectives. There were no details or deadlines on the re-establishment of Sexual Offences Courts. 

South Africans wanted to hear that corruption at all levels of government, including within the executive, will be dealt with severely; but we heard nothing in the way of a concerted government strategy to end corruption at the very top.

The R206 million upgrade of his home in Nkandla using public money makes it difficult for South Africans to take Mr Zuma's pledge on corruption seriously. Why did he not commit to making the Public Works report on Nkandla public? Will he announce a full cessation of all building at his residence until the Public Protector releases her report? So long as the abuse of public money on Nkandla remains unanswered for, it will remain the symbol of corruption in South Africa and of his presidency.

South Africans wanted to hear about how our education system will be improved so that it helps build futures for our children; but we heard nothing about teacher accountability in classrooms or improving the quality of education. Where was the commitment to not allow for a repeat of the Limpopo and Eastern Cape textbook and workbook crisis? What plans will he put in place to ensure that it will never be allowed to happen again?

SONA 2013 delivered no hope. It only cemented in many South African's mind that they can no longer have confidence in a government led by Mr Jacob Zuma. 

As opposition parties represented in Parliament, we have constitutional obligations to ensure that South Africa's government delivers on its promises. And if it does not, we are mandated to act in the interests of the people.

We will therefore stand together in opposing President Zuma's State of the Nation Address in the parliamentary debate on Tuesday and Wednesday next week. 

And after the Constitutional Court makes its ruling, we intend to pursue our motion of no confidence in Mr J Zuma. President Zuma's SONA this year has provided more clear evidence for this joint action.

Indeed, this is a President who can no longer be trusted in dealing with the pressing concerns of every South African citizen.

Joint statement issued by the ACDP, AZAPO, COPE, DA, FF+, IFP, UCDP and UDM, February 15 2013

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