During the debate on President Cyril Ramaphosa’s 2021 State of the Nation Address, DA leader John Steenhuisen and EFF leader Julius Malema accused Ramaphosa of failing to deliver on his promises
CAPE TOWN – Opposition parties have come out against President Cyril Ramaphosa’s State of the Nation Address saying it was full of empty promises.
But ANC ministers and members came to the defence of Ramaphosa, saying he has stuck to his commitment to fix the economy and the country.
Health Minister Zweli Mkhize led the line on plans to strengthen measures to fight Covid-19.
DA leader John Steenhuisen and EFF leader Julius Malema accused Ramaphosa of failing to deliver on his promises.
They said the economy was on its knees and the government has not provided an appropriate response to fix it.
They said over the past three years unemployment has remained high with many young people roaming the streets of the country.
Steenhuisen said Ramaphosa has given the same speech for the past three years.
“If we’re to have any chance of digging ourselves out of the deep hole we’re in, we’re going to have to be truthful about the scale of our problems, the mistakes that contributed to putting us in this position and the steps we now need to take to rectify them,” said Steenhuisen.
“That goes for members from both sides of the House. Whether you sit to my right or my left, our job is the same: to act in the best interest of every single woman, man and child in this country as we try to navigate our way out of this crisis.”
Malema said the economy is in trouble, unemployment is rising and corruption is on the increase.
He said the government has failed to deal with corruption despite reports from the auditor-general.
– Political Bureau
