Notwithstanding the persistent challenges and need for continued effort, government has profoundly transformed the lives of South Africans in the three decades since the advent of democracy.
This is according to President Cyril Ramaphosa who delivered his reply to the Debate of the State of the Nation Address in Cape Town on Thursday.
“We are a nation of builders. We are a nation that does not run away from problems that our country faces. We confront them. We do not lament and complain. We find solutions.
“When we are faced with challenges, we do not fracture, we do not fall apart, we do not collapse, we unite and work together to overcome those challenges. There can be no doubt that we have made progress. Over 30 years we have fundamentally improved the lives of South Africans,” he said.
The President reflected on the past eight years, noting that South Africa has faced several challenges including the COVID-19 pandemic which devastated the economy.
The country also survived an attempted insurrection aimed at “destabilising democracy,” three provinces had to rebuild in the wake of flooding and, after more than 10 years, load shedding is now under control.
“Over the last eight years our country faced some of the most difficult challenges. But working together, we have undertaken a programme of institutional renewal by stabilising what was weakened through state capture, restoring integrity and accountability, and rebuilding the capacity of the state to serve the people of South Africa,” he noted.
The South African economy is showing signs of growth – expanding steadily over the last four quarters while inflation has also cooled.
“Through effective macroeconomic management, we have been able to tackle an unsustainable debt burden, where we ended up spending more to service our debt than we spent on health or education.
“To deal with all these challenges, we have had to rebuild the capacity of the state and to embark on major reforms, while addressing the immediate challenges that our people are facing.
“All these efforts have been aimed at improving the lives of our people and to create a conducive environment for our economy to grow,” the President explained.
The President acknowledged that while “promising signs of recovery” are evident, some challenges persist.
“[We] still have a long way to go. More than 10 million South Africans are estimated to live below the food poverty line. More than 11 million people are unemployed.
“These are not simply statistics. These are individuals, families and communities that are facing great hardship, that experience violence on a daily basis, that run short of food, that face water cuts and that long for a better life,” he said.
He called on all of society to work with government to grow South Africa.
“We can stand on the sidelines and lament, as some have done in this debate. Or we can roll up our sleeves and work together to change this reality – to build a stronger economy that benefits all South Africans and to build and a more equal society in which all South Africans have a place.
“So, let’s build like beavers: with urgency, with unity and with the quiet determination to make something strong enough to hold – something that lasts and something that shelters more than just ourselves. Let us be the real builders of South Africa, working together,” President Ramaphosa concluded. – SAnews.gov.za
