Sameera Casmod | sameerac@radioislam.co.za
12 February 2024 | 12:04 p.m. SAST
2 min read

Picture: Radio Islam International

President Cyril Ramaphosa’s State of the Nation Address (SONA) has been characterised by AfriForum as a pitiful denial of the way the government is failing its citizens.

The civil rights organisation highlighted inadequate improvement in South Africa’s challenges, such as electricity shortages, unemployment, crime, and poverty rates, despite assurances from President Ramaphosa.

Speaking on Radio Islam International’s Your World Today programme, AfriForum spokesperson Ernst van Zyl said that there is a stark contrast between President Ramaphosa’s promises in this year’s so-called recycled SONA and the lived experiences of South African citizens.

“You don’t have to be a political analyst or have a political science degree to see the disparity between what the President is promising and saying and the reality on the ground that we experience every day,” van Zyl said.

One focal point of criticism was the National Health Insurance (NHI) Bill, which AfriForum described as a misguided attempt by the government to address healthcare challenges. Van Zyl argued against expanding state-controlled systems like the NHI, advocating instead for a focus on fixing existing healthcare infrastructure and tackling systemic issues within the public healthcare sector.

“The state-run healthcare system is in a state of disarray,” van Zyl noted. “[The government wants to expand this] system rather than fixing the hospitals that are already in existence, rather than investigating and tackling the problems that already exist in the public health care sector.”

There is an urgent need to devolve power to a provincial level to facilitate problem-solving in each province rather than solely centralising decision-making in Pretoria, the nation’s administrative capital.

“Firstly, I think South Africa would already benefit very much from devolving power much more to a provincial level rather than it all being centralised in Pretoria,” van Zyl explained. “With the current system, Pretoria is making decisions for people in the Cape Flats… Power needs to be devolved closer to where the communities are.”

Asked to outline a proposed plan to devolve power to the community level to effectively address South Africa’s challenges, Van Zyl suggested empowering communities through initiatives such as Neighbourhood Watches and grassroots infrastructure projects. These community-driven efforts can foster a sense of ownership and responsibility among citizens for the well-being of their neighbourhoods.

Van Zyl suggests practical initiatives for communities to undertake, such as cleaning up rivers, painting street signs, fixing potholes, picking up litter, and organising neighbourhood watches to improve security.

Listen to the full interview on Your World Today with Muallimah Annisa Essack.