Karabo Ngoepe and Zodidi Mhlana
JOHANNESBURG- Opposition parties welcomed President Cyril Ramaphosa’s inaugural State of the Nation Address (SONA) but some were rubbed the wrong way by the announcement of land expropriation without compensation.
The African Christian Democratic Party President Reverend Kenneth Meshoe also praised the decorum in the National Assembly.
“It was a very good speech. The atmosphere in the house reminded me of the time of Tata Mandela. Ramaphosa touched the right buttons. He spoke to what South Africans were concerned about. It Especially when it came to crime,” he said.
The Freedom Front Plus’ Pieter Groenewald was however not impressed. He said Ramaphosa spoke about the digital revolution which is coming but the country was still stuck on analogue instead of having migrated to the digital spectrum.
“He spoke about the fourth and fifth revolutions but we still don’t have digital migration. As the Freedom Front Plus, we will give him a chance but we are not happy with the expropriation of land without compensation. That will hurt the economy. He spoke about appealing to investors but we will have to see if they will. I guess the proof of the pudding will be in the taste,” he said.
NFP’s Prof. Nhlanhla Khubisa welcomed Ramaphosa’s maiden speech saying it addressed the major challenges South Africa was dealing with.
“It was a breath of fresh air. He touched on youth unemployment, corruption and ridding our country of state capture. We also expect him to deal with issues of SMMe’s and land,” Khubisa said.
African National Congress’s Deputy Secretary General, Jessie Duarte said: “The speech was a step up for the country. We raised the moment. The 1 million jobs are very important. Secondly, there’s a question of the economy, removing all the red tapes, it will make a lot of difference for small businesses. I like the fact that he is going to be meeting with departments, it shows he is a hands-on president.”
UDM president Bantu Holomisa said that he hoped the speech will not become another one of ANC’s empty promise.
“We welcome the intent, there’s no doubt that he listened to what I told him on Thursday. People are sick and tired of the ANC’s lies over the past years, I hope that we are not going back to that. He will need a programme of action and it will depend on the attitude of his administration,” Holomisa said.
ANC treasurer general Paul Mashatile was also full of praises. He said Ramaphosa touched on a lot of important things currently affecting South Africans.
“It was an excellent speech. We are very happy as the ANC because he touched on important issues. He spoke tough on corruption. The president has indeed risen to the occasion and provided leadership,” said Mashatile.
The Democratic Alliance’s Mmusi Maimane said there were great expectations for Ramaphosa and he was able to set out a vision of unity for the country that all South Africans warmly welcome. He said his party pledged its support in building one nation, with one future, which is in the interests of all South African.
He, however, indicated that Ramaphosa failed to put forward tangible plans to get the country out of the current quagmire it finds itself in.
“Beyond the fine words of renewal and new-found unity, he, unfortunately, did not fulfil the expectations of the public with a clean break from the Zuma era, and a total change from the current tried, tested and failed ANC policies that have brought our nation to this point. Cyril Ramaphosa’s plan for South Africa is too much of a continuation of the Zuma era. There is no major policy reform, only some tinkering with the current policies that have not brought change to the lives of our people. There were too many conferences and summits announced, and not enough clear plans for fixing the problems. Our country needs a brave new beginning and total change from the past decade and not more of ANC rule – not more meetings and talk shops. The reality is, while there has been a change in leadership in South Africa, the material conditions of ordinary South Africans have not changed,” said Ramaphosa.
@karabongoepe1
[email protected]
@Mhlana
[email protected]
