President Cyril Ramaphosa has characterised the rooting out of corruption as the government’s overriding priority during his New Year’s Eve message.
Ramaphosa said through the Special Investigating Unit and the Asset Forfeiture Unit the government had recovered billions of stolen money.
“Specialised task teams have made breakthroughs against illegal mining, kidnapping, economic infrastructure crimes and construction site extortion. We are determined to continue to take decisive steps to clean up our law enforcement agencies. The recommendations of the Madlanga Commission will be implemented to enhance the reforms that are needed to reposition our police service and other law enforcement agencies,” he said.
He said the launch of the National Dialogue, which led to its first national convention, continues the country’s proud tradition of holding inclusive conversations to resolve challenges, build consensus and chart a course for the future.
“We are traversing a path we have walked before, and will be guided in the National Dialogue process by the eminent persons group, who will be the guarantors of the dialogue’s inclusivity and integrity. The steering committee, composed of community-based representatives, will steer the national consultations next year.”
South Africa’s standing in the global community has been enhanced and reaffirmed by our successful hosting of the first G20 Summit ever held on African soil.
The Leaders’ Declaration adopted by the Summit articulated global commitments on inclusive economic growth, debt sustainability, climate action, food security, reform of global financial institutions and other key issues.
He lauded South Africa’s standing in the global community, claiming it had been enhanced and reaffirmed by the successful hosting of the first G20 Summit ever held on African soil.
“The Leaders’ Declaration adopted by the Summit articulated global commitments on inclusive economic growth, debt sustainability, climate action, food security, reform of global financial institutions and a number of other key issues. We can stand proud that the legacy of our G20 Presidency is that we ensured that the voice of our continent Africa and the Global South is recognised, reflected and respected,” he said.
Ramaphosa praised the government for some of its successes in 2025 including recovery of the economy, its work towards creating more jobs, the easing of inflation, the cost of living coming down and the strengthening of the rand.
“South Africa’s sovereign credit rating has been upgraded for the first time in nearly two decades. This means the government can mobilise funding for infrastructure investment and social development at a lower rate.
“The structural transformation programme that we embarked on five years ago is showing positive progress. Eskom’s performance, which in the recent past caused hardship to households, communities and businesses, has improved steadily. As a result, our country has gone without load-shedding for many months. More goods are being transported on our rail network and handled through our ports,” he said.
He described infrastructure developments as one of the government’s key priorities, arguing that this was evidenced by its R1-trillion infrastructure investment over the next three years.
“The continuing improvement of the business environment is contributing to the improvement of our economy and job creation. Our state-owned enterprises are being strengthened and are set to play their key role in the economy.”
He, however, listed some issues of concern plaguing the country, stating that unemployment, poverty and inequality persist. He said the government was taking various actions to address these challenges.
“The high cost of living has imposed huge burdens on South African households. Many communities live in fear of gangsters. Women and children live in fear of gender-based violence and femicide. The delivery of basic services in our cities, towns and villages are often disrupted or do not exist at all. These are difficult and complex challenges faced by many of our people.”
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