Leading opposition parties say the State of the Nation Address delivered by President Cyril Ramaphosa is not good enough to tackle the challenges facing the country.
Economic Freedom Fighters leader Julius Malema said “someone must wake up” Ramaphosa from the dream to address the problems faced by South Africans.
“The President said a lot of nothing...in his own words he was dreaming, and someone must wake him up so that he can face the reality and stop dreaming. It’s not time to dream now, it is the time to implement,” said Malema. The red berets leader said Ramaphosa somersaulted from land issue.
“President spoke about expropriation of land without compensation twice...in the first Sona he took from Zuma and his Sona in February, but today he never mentioned the word. Why? The votes are over and it’s back to reality and they are not going to expropriate any land.
"They are using it for the elections. There is no consistency,” said Malema.
DA leader Mmusi Maimane said the speech was not good enough.
“South Africa today faces some deep crisis, we have problem with Eskom, we have challenges of people being unemployed and today the President didn’t give a plan. He instead describes the challenges facing South Africans but no tangiable plans. No tangible plans for rural safety, no tangible plans on what are we going to do at Eskom.
"More rhetoric coming from the President, in fact, a different departure from February. He spoke about unbundling but this time he is speaking about a stimulus plan. The deep disappointment of the speech today was all based on a dream without any tangible plans.”
Reverend Kenneth Moshoe the leader of ACDP applauded the Sona speech said: “He spoke about a very good dream which South Africans were dreaming for the past 25 years. I wonder what took it so long to have a country which all South Africans dream to have.”
Inkatha Freedom Party leader prince Mongosuthu Buthelezi said all that is required is action: “In all the years I have been here, I don’t remember any Sona that received lots of applauding and so on. What President was saying is, unless you are mad, it is something that we all desire but the issue is on implementation.”
GOOD party leader Patricia De Lille said the President was very honest in acknowledging the challenges that are facing South Africans.
“He announced very ambitions for the next five years and for the next 10 years. What remains for all of us is to roll-up our sleeves and start implementing, monitoring the implementation and be hold accountable,” said De Lille.
ANC’s secretary general Ace Magashule said: “The dream is about what the president has seen while working in the streets of South Africa, of making sure that we address issues of inequalities.
"Implementation of what the President has said is what is important. We as a part we will be monitoring and making sure that there are clear timelines. We are very encouraged and inspired, South Africans are going to know when will these things happen.”
