Sameera Casmod | sameerac@radioislam.co.za
8 February 2024 | 13:51 CAT
3-min read

Cape Town City Hall is all ready for the State of the Nation Address.
Picture: Radio Islam International

CAPE TOWN – President Cyril Ramaphosa is set to deliver his State of the Nation Address (SONA) this evening, February 8, 2024, at 19:00 CAT.

The SONA comes at a critical juncture for South Africa, coinciding with the nation’s thirty-year anniversary as a democracy as well as it’s seventh general election since 1994.

Minister of Home Affairs, Aaron Motsoaledi, noted the significance of this year’s SONA, which will be the last one for the current administration.

“The nation gets a report back about what has been happening, but they also get a glimpse into the future about what’s going to happen. This particular one, remember, is after five years and is after thirty years, and so it has got many, apart from being an annual address, so it has got many anniversaries in it,” Minister Motsoaledi said.

The recent ICJ interim rule has potential implications on South Africa’s preferential trade access to the United States market through the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA).

Trade is a vital component of South Africa’s economy, with the country engaging in commerce with regions across the globe. In its trade relations with the US, South Africa has two main avenues for exporting goods: the general rules under the World Trade Organisation’s “most-favoured nation” principle and the preferential access provided by the AGOA act.

In November 2023, South Africa hosted an AGOA forum aimed at securing an extension of the AGOA benefits for another decade. However, the overall mood in the US regarding trade is bleak, with a reluctance to enter into new agreements and a focus on domestic industrial revitalisation.

“We walked away with the realisation of how important AGOA is not only for the African continent but also the amount the US benefits from this trade relationship,” Minister of Trade and Industry Ebrahim Patel said earlier today.

The minister outlined the country’s longstanding commitment to principled foreign policy, rooted in the values of President Nelson Mandela. This commitment extends to issues of human rights and international solidarity, as evidenced by South Africa’s stance on the Palestinian cause.

“South Africa has always taken the view, from the time of President Nelson Mandela, that we have got to take a principled stance on matters of foreign policy,” Minister Patel said.

South Africa’s support for Palestine reflects its belief in a rules-based international order where the powerful and the powerless are held to the same standards.

“South Africa has taken the stand because Palestinian life is as important as a South African life,” Minister Patel said.

Differences in views on the Palestine cause will not rattle South Africa’s determination in advocating for justice and equity, the minister said.

“When young children are killed. When innocent people are bombed. When Palestinians are denied their right, not only to statehood, but also to life and dignity, the world cannot stand aside and say, ‘Well it’s going to be too expensive to get involved’,” Minister Patel said.

Minister Patel believes that the tradition of solidarity, deeply entrenched within the African National Congress (ANC), guides its governmental and foreign policy.

The SONA typically outlines South Africa’s developments and obstacles in terms of its objectives over the past five years.

Over the last period, South Africa has encountered logistics obstacles due to equipment shortages and maintenance backlogs at Transnet.

“One area of challenge that we’ve had to confront is the transport logistics one. South Africa, our economy is very reliant on a competitive and well-functioning transport logistics,” Minister Patel said.

Investigations into Transnet for state capture and insufficient investments have left the company in a weakened state, Minister Patel said, making it unable to function adequately.

The minister emphasised that progress has been made to mitigate the delays that ships have had at South African ports.

Another cause for concern for South Africa is the influx of illegal immigrants. Minister Motsoaledi placed the problem within South Africa’s historical context of Apartheid, explaining that Apartheid barriers between South Africa and its neighbours were torn down when South Africa became a democracy.

“After liberation, Nelson Mandela took over and declared that we are no longer at war, we are not fighting with our neighbours, we are a democracy, we should live in peace, and all those things were removed. The mistake that we committed, and we concede to that mistake, is the fact that nothing was, it was not replaced with anything. That is, the management of borders under democracy,” Minister Motsoaledi said.

However, a border control act was implemented to establish a border management authority last year, which is making progress in deterring illegal migrants.

The minister also discussed several arrests in an operation that included the Counter Corruption Branch of Home Affairs. He highlighted the department’s crackdown on corruption, stating, “I have said, and I said it about three years ago, that if, in fighting corruption, I need to replace two-thirds of the employees or workforce in Home Affairs, so be it. And we are definitely following that; you are right, that’s why we are saying we are charging people.”

Listen to the full interview on Radio Islam International with Moulana Habib Bobat here.