President Ramaphosa delivered his last State of the Nation Statement - more promises in a year of critical national elections

SOUTH AFRICA - In Brief 09 Feb 2024 by Iraj Abedian

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The State of the National Address (SONA) has become an institution even since the establishment of the democratic order in South Africa. It is an annual occasion for the Members of the Parliament (MPs) to dress up and turn the opening session of the parliament into a mini-national fashion show—displaying the country’s rich cultural diversity. This year’s opening of the parliament coincided with the 30th anniversary of the democratic order in the country, and with only a few months left to the national elections (expected in May 2024), this was also the last SONA of the 6th Administration of the post-Apartheid era. President Ramaphosa delivered his last SONA before heading to a critical national election. For the first time since 1994, the outcome of the national elections is uncertain. Whereas up to now, before every election the outcome and the next president were known but the level of electoral support was the unknown, this year the ANC and its allies don’t have the same level of assurance that the elections will deliver a minimum of 50% for their Party. Speculation by political analysts and pollsters confirms ANC’s own belief that this year’s elections will result in ANC’s support falling below 50%—the question is by how much. President Ramaphosa was well aware of this reality. He used his almost 2-hour long address to the nation to summarize the achievements of the past 30 years under the leadership of the ANC. His speech was filled with statistics, symbolism and a well-selected, yet partisan, narrative about the reality facing the citizens. He tried very hard to focus on the positives and understate the harsh reality of the continuous disruptions to the economy d...