FULL SPEECH | President Cyril Ramaphosa delivers 2022 Sona
Speaker of the National Assembly, Ms Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula,Chairperson of the National Council of Provinces, Mr Amos Masondo,Deputy President David Mabuza, Former President Thabo Mbeki, Former Deputy President Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, Former Deputy President Baleka Mbete, Former Speaker of the National Assembly, Mr Max Sisulu, Acting Chief Justice Raymond Zondo, Mayor of the City of Cape Town, Mr Geordin Hill-Lewis, Dean of the Diplomatic Corps, Mr Bene M'Poko, Members of the Judiciary,...
Today, we are faced with such a moment. The path we choose now will determine the course for future generations. That is why we are taking steps to strengthen our democracy and reaffirm our commitment to a Constitution that protects us all. We are working together to revitalise our economy and end the inequality and injustice that impedes our progress. We are standing together against corruption and to ensure that those who are responsible for state capture are punished for their crimes.
We have begun discussions on what trade-offs are needed and what contribution we will each need to make. We have given ourselves 100 days to finalise a comprehensive social compact to grow our economy, create jobs and combat hunger.
Our approach has been informed throughout by the best available scientific evidence, and we have stood out both for the quality of our scientists and for their involvement in every step of our response. During the past year, we have focused on accelerating our vaccine rollout. So far, we have administered 30 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines. Consequently, nearly 42% of all adults and 60% of everyone over 50 is fully vaccinated.
The electricity crisis is one of the greatest threats to economic and social progress. In the last few days, we have once again been reminded of the fragility of our electricity system. Load shedding continues to have a huge impact on the lives of all South Africans, disrupting business activities, and placing additional strains on families and communities.
To regulate all of these reforms, Cabinet yesterday approved amendments to the Electricity Regulation Act for public comment. These far-reaching amendments will enable a competitive market for electricity generation and the establishment of an independent state-owned transmission company. Our economy cannot grow without efficient ports and railways. Over several years, the functioning of our ports has declined relative to ports in other parts of the world and on the African continent.
We are therefore working hard to rehabilitate the passenger rail network in 10 priority corridors. The Southern Line in Cape Town and the Mabopane Line in Pretoria have been re-opened to be followed by the remaining lines in the next year. One of the greatest constraints on the technological development of our economy has been the unacceptable delay in the migration of broadcasting from analogue to digital.
The updated list reflects the skills that are in shortage today, to ensure that our immigration policy matches the demands of our economy. A comprehensive review of the work visa system is currently underway, led by a former Director-General of Home Affairs, Mr Mavuso Msimang. This review is exploring the possibility of new visa categories that could enable economic growth, such as a start-up visa and a remote working visa. Water is the country’s most precious natural resource.
While structural reforms are necessary for us to revive economic growth, they are not enough on their own. This year, we are undertaking far-reaching measures to unleash the potential of small businesses, micro businesses and informal businesses. These are the businesses that create the most jobs and provide the most opportunities for poor people to earn a living.
Mr Nkosi has extensive experience in business, including as the CEO of Exxaro Resources, and is currently the Chairperson of the Small Business Institute. The red tape team will identify priority reforms for the year ahead, including mechanisms to ensure government departments pay suppliers within the required 30 days. The team will also work with other departments and agencies to unblock specific obstacles to investment and business growth.
Our South African National Defence Force is the implementing agent of the Welisizwe programme, and has demonstrated the expertise of SANDF engineers in bridge construction. Earlier this week I was in Thakgalane village Limpopo to launch a new road that is going to make a huge difference in the lives of neighbouring communities. This road was constructed using block paving and other materials, which is a method that enables us to build durable roads faster and more cost-effectively.
This approach is being piloted in schools in the Northern Cape and Eastern Cape. Over the past year, government has built on its successful Hydrogen SA strategy to make major strides in positioning South Africa as a global leader in this new market. This includes the development of a Hydrogen Society Roadmap for the next ten years as well as a Green Hydrogen Strategy for the Northern Cape, supporting the development of a green hydrogen pipeline worth around R270 billion.
By the time of the third South Africa Investment Conference in November 2020, we had reached R776 billion in investment commitments. Next month, on the 24th of March, we will be holding the fourth South Africa Investment Conference in Johannesburg. We will showcase the many investment opportunities available as South Africa continues its recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, and report back on the progress of previous commitments.
We are therefore streamlining the regulatory processes so that the hemp and cannabis sector can thrive like it is in other countries such as Lesotho. Our people in the Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and elsewhere are ready to farm with this age-old commodity and bring it to market in new and innovative forms.
Since I established the Presidential Climate Commission a little more than a year ago, it has done much work to support a just transition to a sustainable, inclusive, resilient and low-carbon economy. At the international climate conference in Glasgow last November, South Africa struck a historic R131 billion deal with the European Union, France, Germany, United Kingdom and the United States.
It has supported young women like Tracy Nkosi from Springs, who was employed as an education assistant at Welgedag Primary School, and who says this opportunity has motivated her to further her studies in the educational sphere. It has also supported Mama Nosipho Cekwana from Impendle in KwaZulu-Natal who used her farming input voucher to buy maize, manure and supplements for her livestock.
The Department of Higher Education and Training will place 10,000 unemployed TVET graduates in workplaces from April 2022. In preparing this State of the Nation address I was assisted by two young South Africans who are working as interns in the Presidency, Ms Naledi Malatji and Ms Kearabetswe Mabatle. They told me about the pain felt by young people who find themselves with a qualification, but are unemployed because of lack of experience.
During this time, we will engage in broad consultations and detailed technical work to identify the best options to replace this grant. Any future support must pass the test of affordability, and must not come at the expense of basic services or at the risk of unsustainable spending. It remains our ambition to establish a minimum level of support for those in greatest need. Expanding access to land is vital for our efforts to reduce hunger and provide people with meaningful livelihoods.
We will be expanding the provision of input vouchers and calling on other sectors to join this effort, so that we can collectively reach up to 250,000 small-scale farmers this year. None of our efforts to revive our economy will succeed if we do not tackle the scourge of corruption once and for all. Since the beginning of the year, I have been provided with the first two parts of the report of the Commission of Inquiry into State Capture headed by Acting Chief Justice Raymond Zondo.
The relevant law enforcement agencies are taking the necessary steps to address the immediate concern about the safety of whistle-blowers. Many individuals and companies that the Commission has found were responsible for state capture must now be held to account.
Even as the country was suffering the devastation of the COVID-19 pandemic, companies and individuals were conspiring with public officials to defraud the government of billions of rands in COVID-related contracts. As soon as evidence emerged of this corruption we acted.
This would separate the state’s ownership functions from its policy-making and regulatory functions, minimise the scope for political interference, introduce greater professionalism and manage state assets in a way that protects shareholder value. As part of this, preparatory work has begun for the establishment of a state-owned Holding Company to house strategic SOEs and to exercise coordinated shareholder oversight.
The staffing of the public order policing unit of the South African Police Service will be brought to an appropriate level, with appropriate training courses in place. The ongoing damage to and theft of economic infrastructure has damaged confidence and severely constrained economic growth, investment and job creation. At the same time, we need to confront the criminal gangs that invade construction sites and other business places to extort money from companies.
The implementation of this legislation will go a long way to ensuring that cases are successfully prosecuted, that survivors are protected and that there are more effective deterrents in place. We have made significant progress in reducing the backlog in DNA processing, reducing it from 210,000 exhibits in April 2021 to around 58,000 at present.
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