As South Africa prepares for the state of the nation address (Sona), political and labour leaders say President Cyril Ramaphosa must confront the country’s deepening economic and service delivery crises, with unemployment, collapsing infrastructure and crime at the centre of concerns.
Cosatu parliamentary co-ordinator Matthew Parks has warned that South Africa faces a “ticking time bomb” of 42% unemployment, saying the economy has been stuck at 1% growth for nearly two decades.
“We need to take growth to at least 3% before we begin to see unemployment falling in a substantial way,” Parks said. “You can’t sustain a society where four out of 10 South Africans cannot find work.”
He argued that rebuilding state capacity is critical to unlocking growth, including properly resourcing public services such as education, health care, roads and water infrastructure.
We are witnessing the collapse of local government in many areas. Government must intervene decisively
— Matthew Parks, Cosatu parliamentary co-ordinator
Parks acknowledged progress in stabilising Eskom and ending load-shedding, but said electricity must now be made affordable, particularly for heavy industries that sustain mining and manufacturing jobs. He also called for freight and logistics systems to operate at full capacity and inefficiencies in the mining rights application system to be urgently addressed to attract investment.
While welcoming “green shoots” at Metrorail and the turnaround at SAA, Parks said struggling state-owned entities such as the Post Office, Post Bank, SABC and Denel require similar intervention plans.
Local government, however, remains a “deep concern”.
“We are witnessing the collapse of local government in many areas. Government must intervene decisively,” he said.
On crime, Parks rejected claims of “white genocide” but stressed that violent crime affects all South Africans.
“When we have such high levels of murder, rape, gender-based violence and robbery, it paints a picture of a lawless society. You won’t attract investment in that environment,” he said.
Meanwhile, the EFF echoed concerns about basic service delivery, with party spokesperson Sinawo Thambo saying the Sona must directly address the country’s worsening water and electricity crises.
“I think the priorities should be speaking to the basic service delivery imperatives that are confronting the country right now,” Thambo said.
He pointed to escalating water shortages in Johannesburg, saying that while the crisis has drawn attention because it affects the country’s economic hub, rural communities have faced similar conditions for decades.
“There are many rural areas in South Africa that have never had running water since the dawn of democracy. But for it to happen in the hub of the economy on the continent should be a cause for serious concern about how infrastructure has collapsed,” he said
He argued that many water challenges could have been avoided if infrastructure had been properly maintained and leakages had been managed, and called on Ramaphosa to account for the promises made since taking office in 2018.
“It cannot be that every Sona feels like the beginning of a new term, with new promises each year. We need a scorecard,” Thambo said.
He also demanded updates on progress in tackling crime, extortion rings, gangsterism, gender-based violence and substance abuse, questioning the effectiveness of the various task teams and advisory panels established by the government.
“What progress has been made?” he asked.
TimesLIVE
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