Sameera Casmod | sameerac@radioislam.co.za
4 February 2025 | 13:41 CAT
4-minute read

As South Africa awaits this year’s State of the Nation Address (SONA), the question on many citizens’ minds is whether President Cyril Ramaphosa’s words will hold any weight. For years, SONA has been a grand affair—filled with red carpets, designer outfits, and political theatrics—while millions of South Africans struggle with poverty, unemployment, and economic uncertainty.

Speaking on Radio Islam International, Roger Solomons from Build One South Africa (BOSA) highlighted the deep divide between the spectacle of SONA and the daily struggles of ordinary South Africans. “In the recent past, I think as South Africans, we’ve become accustomed to this event, with its glitz and its glamour and its fancy and political grandstanding, while millions of South Africans remain trapped in poverty and joblessness.”

It is a glaring contradiction. The streets around Cape Town’s City Hall will be closed off for the event, security will be heightened, and the political elite will parade before the cameras. Meanwhile, just kilometres away, informal settlements remain plagued by crime, lack of basic services, and an ever-growing sense of despair.

Year after year, the president’s SONA address is filled with promises—commitments to job creation, economic growth, infrastructure development, and tackling corruption. Yet, as Solomons pointed out, “The president has, since 2018, made many commitments and promises and signals of intent. But… the truth is that there’s not an actual plan.”

The lack of follow-through has eroded trust in government. “Since 2018, so many promises have been made- promises that’s now just broken promises, ” Solomons noted. “We cannot have more broken promises made.” One such promise was the president’s 2022 pledge that within 100 days, a social compact to combat hunger and grow the economy would be signed. Years later, that compact remains non-existent.

What’s missing is accountability. Opposition parties occasionally call out the president on his failures, but often with a political agenda of their own. Solomons argued that South Africa needs a proper forum to hold the government to account—not just for opposition parties to score points, but to ensure real oversight. “It’s very, very important, and as BOSA, we’ve always said, you know, people before politics, and we believe in collaborating and to ensure that there’s an independent, that there’s proper oversight, not just over the presidency, but to take stock as a nation.”

Without accountability, SONA risks becoming an annual charade. “We cannot have SONA after SONA after SONA after SONA. It becomes… all about the glamour and grandstanding and the red carpet. And tomorrow morning, South Africa just wakes up and it’s back to usual. And there’s no accountability.”

At the heart of South Africa’s crisis is the economy. Joblessness remains a pressing issue, and despite years of promises, the situation has not improved. The reality is stark: without economic opportunities, crime will continue to rise, and social instability will worsen.

Solomons believes that a fundamental shift is needed. “Earlier we mentioned that in the absence of a credible plan to grow the economy, you know, we need that plan, and we are saying as BOSA, the 5% growth is needed.” He emphasised the need to invest in township economies, which remain neglected despite their potential to drive grassroots economic growth.

Solomons also suggested that the government divest itself of its private shareholdings. “Government owns billions and billions of rands of private shares. Why government has private shares, I don’t know. And we say sell all of those private shares and redistribute that money or shift that budget into ensuring that the township economy grows and to ensure that there is a breadwinner in every South African home.”

This approach would be a dramatic departure from current government policy. Instead of relying on vague promises of foreign investment and large-scale infrastructure projects that often fail to materialise, the government could channel existing funds into small businesses and local economies where they would have an immediate impact.

As the nation tunes in to SONA, South Africans are asking: will this be another night of empty words, or will it mark a turning point?

Solomons offered a straightforward solution: “Instead of trying to have pages and pages and pages of commitments and promises, stick to the five or three critical commitments, and make sure that it’s executed, and let’s keep those accountable.”

For too long, SONA has been about optics rather than substance. If this government is serious about change, it must move beyond lofty rhetoric and take meaningful, transparent action. Otherwise, the disconnect between the red carpet spectacle and the grim reality facing ordinary citizens will only grow wider.

Listen to the full interview on Sabaahul Muslim with Moulana Junaid Kharsany.