Neelam Rahim | neelam@radioislam.co.za
4-minute read
13 February 2026

President Cyril Ramaphosa’s State of the Nation Address (SONA) has placed renewed attention on some of South Africa’s most urgent crises — from water insecurity and violent crime, to the fragile political balance of the Government of National Unity (GNU), and the long-delayed restitution of District Six.

In a post-SONA ASRI Report, political analyst Fazlin Fransman Taliep welcomed the announcement of a National Water Crisis Committee, but warned that communities currently without water should not expect immediate relief.

“The reality is that if your water is currently off, the very establishment of this committee is not going to necessarily ensure that your water is going to be on miraculously,” Fransman Taliep said.

He argued the water crisis is not driven by scarcity, but by years of infrastructure neglect and insufficient investment at municipal level. Using Johannesburg as an example, he highlighted the impact of rapid population growth and internal migration, saying existing systems “simply cannot handle that burden.”

While he said the committee could play a valuable coordination role in the long term, he questioned why it is needed when government already has a Department of Water and Sanitation. Fransman Taliep suggested the problem is not a lack of officials, but weak coordination across spheres of government.

SONA also saw Ramaphosa announce the deployment of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) to gang-affected areas in Cape Town and parts of Gauteng. Fransman Taliep acknowledged that for residents living amid daily shootings, a visible security presence offers short-term relief.

But he cautioned that militarised interventions are not sustainable. “The deployment of the Defence Force can never be a long-term strategy,” he said, noting that the military is not trained to operate among civilians in the way police are.

Drawing from examples such as Brazil, he explained that gangs often adapt by going underground or relocating. “Once the Defence Force then leaves, nothing fundamentally has changed,” he warned, adding that the root causes — poverty, inequality, and lack of social development — remain unaddressed.

On the GNU, Fransman Taliep said investor confidence may be stabilised, but questioned whether ordinary citizens are benefiting. He noted that political parties within the coalition were quick to claim victories during SONA, particularly around education and service delivery, while avoiding accountability for failures.

“The ordinary person on the ground her material condition hasn’t substantially changed her water is off, her refuse hasn’t been collected,” he said.

The ASRI Report ended with a strong focus on District Six, as 2026 marks 60 years since the area was declared a white zone under apartheid. Ramaphosa announced R500 million to support the next phase of restoration and restitution, but Fransman Taliep said many beneficiaries view the process as deliberately stalled.

“It feels like over the last 30 years, there’s been a deliberate stalling of restitution it’s as if we’re just waiting for people to die,” he said, noting that many original claimants have already passed away.

Fransman Taliep questioned whether R500 million could meaningfully address the scale of forced removals, estimated at around 60 000 people. He called for a clear year-on-year plan, including housing delivery targets over a five-to-six-year period.

He also linked District Six to Cape Town’s current housing crisis, warning that rising property prices driven partly by Airbnb are creating “a new apartheid,” where working-class residents are being pushed out of central areas.

“This can actually be something that deals with housing challenges in the city,” he said, adding that restitution could restore diversity and affordability in the CBD — but only if backed by a long-term plan.

Fransman Taliep concluded that symbolic commitments are no longer enough, particularly as the generation most affected continues to die without justice.

Listen to the full interview on Sabahul Muslim with Moulana Junaid Kharsany and Fazlin Fansman Taliep.