Despite obstacles, South Africa achieves notable successes: Ramaphosa

President Cyril Ramaphosa says although South Africa is facing many difficulties, it is important to note that the country has achieved significant successes in the past year.

Ramaphosa was delivering his State of the Nation address at the City Hall in Cape Town on Thursday evening.

The President says South Africans are defined by their hopefulness, resilience and determination to overcome any challenges they are presented with.

“Today our economy is larger than it was before the pandemic between the 3rd quarters of 2021 and 2022 around 1 and a half million jobs were created in our economy the Presidential Employment Stimulus has provided work opportunities to one million people who did not work. Last year our matriculants something that we need to be proud of achieved a pass rate of 80 percent and we ought to be proud of that.”

President Cyril Ramaphosa SONA Speech:

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Impact of load shedding

He has also acknowledged the devastating impact of load shedding on economic recovery, urging South Africans not to lose hope in the face of challenges such as ongoing rolling blackouts.

“Many people are suffering, many are worried, many are uncertain, and many are without hope. But of this I am certain. Whatever the difficulties of the moment, and crises we face, we will rise to meet them together and, together, we will overcome the difficulties. This we will be able to do if we work together and more importantly if we leave no one behind. We know that without a reliable supply of electricity, businesses cannot grow, assembly lines cannot run, crops cannot be irrigated and basic services are interrupted.”

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‘South Africans want action’

President Ramaphosa says without a reliable supply of electricity, efforts to grow the economy and create jobs will fail. He says that the government’s first priority this year is to bring down the severity and frequency of load shedding in the short term.

Ramaphosa says, “The people of South Africa want action, they want solutions and they want the government to work for them. They simply want to know when a problem of load shedding will be brought to an end.”

“We are therefore focused on those actions that will make a meaningful difference now and will enable real progress in the next year and that we lay a foundation for a sustained recovery into the future,” he adds.