DA leader John Steenhuisen lambasted President Cyril Ramaphosa, saying he was guilty of something worse than what he once accused former president Jacob Zuma of — if Zuma presided over “nine wasted years”, then Ramaphosa was responsible for “five disastrous years”.
Using the state of the nation address (Sona) debate at Cape Town City Hall on Tuesday, Steenhuisen said the country believed that under Zuma's rule South Africa had reached “rock bottom”. However, Ramaphosa’s tenure has proven to be worse, he said.
“What happened under Zuma was a tragedy. But what happened under your watch is a farce. The 'New Dawn' was a false dawn. Ramaphoria was a delusion. Your supposed commitment to reform was hollow,” he said.
Steenhuisen told Ramaphosa that the Sona address was his chance to turn things around, onto a fundamentally different path. However, the opposition party leader believes the president failed.
“A courageous leader who really cared about this nation would have had the head and the heart to admit that his party is wrong, that it’s time to cross the Rubicon and embrace the opposite of socialism, which is power to the people,” he said.
Steenhuisen reiterated his party view that it is ANC-sponsored policies of cadre deployment and the “failed” approach of centralised state control that has resulted in the reality of daily life in the country.
“Too weak, too indecisive and too cowardly to take on the cadres, the compromised and the vested interests in the political party he leads, he turned his back on the Rubicon, on us, and on the only pathway that can save this country,” he said.
Too weak, too indecisive and too cowardly to take on the cadres, the compromised and the vested interests in the political party he leads, he turned his back on the Rubicon, on us, and on the only pathway that can save this country
— John Steenhuisen, DA leader
“Instead of getting the state out of the way of private electricity generation, he gave sweeping powers to the same minister who abused the people of this country during Covid. Instead of deregulating and unleashing private sector electricity generation, he centralised even more power in his super-presidency.
“Instead of privatising failed state-owned enterprises, he created a massive new state-owned entity to provide fresh looting opportunities to cadres. Instead of removing the incompetent ministers of energy and public enterprises who block reform, he added yet another ministry to his bloated cabinet,” Steenhuisen said.
The opposition party leader added that Ramaphosa’s expansion of the role of the state has guaranteed that load-shedding and all the other terrible crises the nation face will only get worse.
“Thuma mina was an empty slogan. The new dawn was a cruel mirage. Phala Phala showed us who he really is. Yes, we too wonder why he is still doing this job. Because it is now quite clear Mr Ramaphosa has failed,” said the opposition leader.
Steenhuisen criticised Ramaphosa for saying South Africans were defined by platitudes such as “hope and resilience” but rather should be driven by a commitment to constitutional democracy.
“I stand before the people of our country not to offer you more idealistic dreams, like bullet trains, smart cities and empty talk of ‘hope'. We tried the idealism of the New Dawn, and it turned into a false dawn. Now, let’s try pragmatism,” said Steenhuisen.
EFF leader Julius Malema joined in the critique that the country’s conditions have worsened under Ramaphosa’s tenure.
“Nothing is working in this country. You were promised all manner of things when president Zuma was removed. Things are worse, things will get worse because the president said that the electricity crisis is not going to be resolved.
Malema also commented on his party’s alleged violent outburst in parliament last week, which saw the red berets approach the stage with the aim of disrupting the president’s address, saying it was wrong for the speaker to invite the police into the chambers.
“The police must never be allowed inside the chamber because that is where the executive is held accountable and those who are in power. If they do not have answers [they] may be tempted to use the security forces to intimidate those who are holding them accountable.’
The red berets' leader addressed claims that he intimidated Ramaphosa and speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula’s claims that he posed a threat to the president’s safety and therefore the people who “use their stomachs to think” were misguided.
“He said himself he was never under threat, neither was he intimidated, so what were the police doing here? I have known the president of the ANC longer than many of you and he has known me when I was very young. Under no circumstances will he ever be threatened by me or feel that his life is under threat because I am next to him,” said Malema.
Citing that the speaker has lost control of parliament, Malema announced that his party has sponsored a motion of no confidence against her.
The party leader also criticised Ramaphosa for not listening to his own political party, which resolved on moving Eskom to the department of minerals and energy.
“Now you’ve established minister of electricity, we hope to see minister of trains, we hope to see minister of flights, we hope to see minister of potholes, we hope to see minister of gender-based violence, because the reality is that nothing is working under you,” said Malema to Ramaphosa.
Now you’ve established minister of electricity, we hope to see minister of trains, we hope to see minister of flights, we hope to see minister of potholes, we hope to see minister of gender-based violence, because the reality is that nothing is working under you
— Julius Malema, EFF leader
IFP chief whip Narend Singh took to the podium on behalf of absent leader Velenkosini Hlabisa, sharing in the despondency and in agreement that the country was not defined by hope and resilience but rather load-shedding, unemployment and crime.
“Let us not delude ourselves that South Africa can survive a government that has made promises, reneged on promises, made plans, gone back on plans, changed direction, moved backwards and stood still — all while our country is burning,” he said.
Singh lambasted the “display of hooliganism”, saying that even the speaker was visibly shaken by the storming of the stage by those who have no interest in “working together” or serving the country.
Taking a hit at the red berets responsible for the disruption, Singh accused the EFF of “feeding the frustration of angry people, and whose stunts must become increasingly violent to maintain the limelight”.
“Their threats and insults and disruptive behaviour evolved into falsely implicating the minister of police in a fictional assassination plot. Our people are tired of the rabble-rousers for they have no solutions to offer. They may be a bit of comic relief from time to time, but they are not someone you want at the helm,” said Singh.
“What South Africans want are solutions. We want honesty. We want fairness, and justice, and to know that our government is capable and willing to do its job.”
Singh also rejected the president’s claims a lack of technical skills and management skills across government have been discovered.
“We have been warning for years that cadre deployment, at the cost of skills employment, would have its effect. You now talk about rebuilding skills that have been lost over time. This did not happen by chance. Skills were pushed out in favour of giving jobs to pals. Can we really believe that that gravy train will stop?”
Commenting on the decision to appoint a minister of electricity in the presidency, Singh joined the widespread outrage and said this was an admission by the president that the ministers of public enterprises and minerals and energy have failed.
“This bloating of bureaucracy is not a solution. As the EFF's president so aptly asked, why not have a minister of potholes in the presidency and a special minister of education and a special minister of inequality?
“What we need is people with the requisite skills, unbeholden to political masters, who reap no side benefits and who genuinely seek what is best for South Africa. In the absence of this, and in the absence of clear-cut strategies, with firm timelines and deliverables for investors, business and consumers, our fragile economy may well break.
The IFP chief whip said it was difficult to believe the new promises being made when old ones remained unfulfilled.
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