Johannesburg - President Cyril Ramaphosa is expected to deliver his State of the Nation address amid the crippling energy crisis that has seen the country plunge into stages 4 and 6 since the start of the year.
Opposition political parties have since called for Ramaphosa to reshuffle his Cabinet in order to bring much-needed changes to years of lacklustre performance from some of his Cabinet members.
Before the highly anticipated State of the Nation Address (Sona), four ANC members were sworn in as members of Parliament – ANC Deputy President Paul Mashatile, second deputy secretary general Maropene Ramokgopa, and NEC members Parks Tau and Sihle Zikalala.
They have replaced Tshilidzi Munyai, Mervyn Dirks, Masefako Dikgale, and Matshidiso Mfikoe, who resigned as MPs recently.
On Monday, the energy crisis dominated Minerals and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe’s opening address at the Africa Mining Indaba in Cape Town.
Cosatu says it expects President Cyril Ramaphosa to make bold pronouncements on job creation, the energy crisis and other socio-political issues crippling the country’s economy.
On Monday, Cosatu spokesperson Sizwe Pamla said workers and society at large were struggling with the high rate of unemployment, which has shot up to 43% in recent years.
He said that was compounded by rising levels of debt and an economy struggling to emerge from a deep recession, as well as 10 hours of load shedding, a deteriorating passenger and freight rail network under siege from criminal syndicates, rampant levels of crime and corruption, and dysfunctional municipalities unable to provide basic services.
“To restore hope, the Sona needs to present a clear programme and set clear implementation benchmarks and time frames.
“The government also needs to account for the implementation of the 2022 Sona commitments, as part of building society’s confidence. The economy cannot grow, and unemployment cannot be reduced with continuous load shedding,” he said.
Cosatu said it supported the recent declaration by the ANC’s lekgotla, which recommended that the Eskom crisis be declared a state of disaster as it wouldl pave the way for comprehensive interventions at Eskom.
With state-owned entities and infrastructure dysfunctional, Cosatu wants Ramaphosa to ramp up his response to a range of problems facing citizens who find themselves at the mercy of political mudslinging and rhetoric that does not serve their needs.
“The government needs to announce clear interventions to ramp up the fight against crime and corruption,” Pamla said.
“These need to include the reversal of the deeply concerning decline in the SAPS and NPA (National Prosecuting Authority) personnel numbers. The South African Revenue Service needs to be empowered to undertake lifestyle audits of politicians and senior state managers. Law enforcement organs and the judiciary need to be well resourced to fight corruption and serious crimes.”
The Star