Johannesburg - ActionSA president Herman Mashaba was delivering an address at the launch of the party’s ‘South African Dream’, where he remarked on urgent matters that needed government intervention.
Mashaba spoke about the State of the Nation Address (Sona) set to be delivered by President Cyril Ramaphosa on February 9, pointing out that it is a continuation of empty promises.
He says three decades after the democratic transition, SA remains defined by Apartheid-era spatial planning, unequal access to quality education, unreliable services, dysfunctional infrastructure, and a growing gap between the rich and poor.
"Over the past three years, South Africa and the rest of the world have endured pain and suffering unlike that which we have experienced for a very long time."
"The Covid pandemic ushered in an era of unprecedented economic hardship, exacerbating the impact of South Africa’s slow economic growth over the past decade and exposing the depth of corruption of a morally bankrupt government."
"The war in Ukraine further precipitated a global cost of living crisis, driving up the cost of food and fuel. This has been devastating for a country that suffers from endemic unemployment, with 12 South Africans without jobs and 26 million of our people forced to rely on meagre social grants just to survive."
"To make matters worse, the Eskom crisis worsens by the day, with Stage 6 load shedding now something we are expected to tolerate on a frequent basis. I cannot remember when last we had anything resembling a stable supply of electricity," he said.
"The crises in South Africa are a long time in the making, by an uncaring and corrupt government that has deprived South Africans of the hope for a better life for all. But recent global events have served to hasten our decline as a nation and brought into sharp focus the depth of our despair."
"On Thursday, the President will deliver his State of the Nation Address and repeat the same empty promises about creating jobs and ending load shedding. But his words will be hollow and fail to inspire hope, just as the government has failed to inspire hope for the past two decades."
Mashaba also cited Ga-Rankuwa, pointing out that today its economy is no longer the bustling area of economic opportunity that it was in 1985 when they launched their business.
"Today, it lies dormant, reflective of a country that has failed to live up to its potential under a corrupt and incompetent government. The reality is that the vast majority of those that were marginalised in the past remain condemned to a life without dignity and an opportunity for upward mobility," said Mashaba.
The Star