DURBAN - DA leader John Steenhuisen has said in his New Year message that 2020 should be a year of difficult decisions and actions over words.
"As we prepare for the year ahead, it is crucial that we reflect honestly on the path our country is on. We can do so much better. It is well within our reach to turn our struggling economy around and play to our strengths as a country, but only if we are prepared to face the tough questions and make the big calls," said Steenhuisen via an emailed statement on Tuesday afternoon.
He urged South Africans to be grateful for the opportunities that came their way, but also to understand where individuals and society had fallen short of the goals they wanted to achieve.
"And let us always keep those in mind who might have suffered this year," he added.
"2019 was not always an easy year. Our economy was under immense pressure and many South Africans felt the pinch. As always, it is those who can least afford it who were worst affected. Poor South Africans – and particularly those without work – had to deal with much hardship this year.
"As a country, we’ve had to come to terms with the massive cost and burden of years of corruption and mismanagement, and nowhere has this been more evident than in our unreliable electricity supply. 2020 has to be the year in which we tackle this issue head on and make the tough decisions that we all know need to be made.
"As we prepare for the year ahead, it is crucial that we reflect honestly on the path our country is on. We can do so much better. It is well within our reach to turn our struggling economy around and play to our strengths as a country, but only if we are prepared to face the tough questions and make the big calls.
"Let us commit to making 2020 the year in which we do just this. Let our resolution for the new year be 'action, not words'".