President Cyril Ramaphosa to Deliver 2026 SONA on Thursday

Upcoming State of the Nation Address

• 💡 President Cyril Ramaphosa is set to deliver his ninth annual State of the Nation Address (SONA) for 2026, marking the official opening of Parliament.
• 📌 The address is expected to cover a wide range of political, economic, and social matters in both domestic and global spheres, building on previous commitments.
• 💬 Given the upcoming local government elections, the SONA is anticipated to focus heavily on "bread and butter issues" important to South Africans, such as crime, unemployment, and the cost of living.

Ramaphosa's Administration Performance

• 📉 Critics argue that President Ramaphosa has a tendency to "overpromise and under-deliver", citing unfulfilled pledges like the "smart city" outside Tshwane.
• 📊 The presidency has seen the slowest GDP growth since 1994, averaging 0.6% from 2018 to 2024, significantly lower than previous administrations.
• ⚠️ Despite promises of structural renewal and job creation, many key agenda items from the 2025 SONA, such as lifting economic growth above 3%, did not materialize.

Economic Challenges and Unemployment

• 📈 South Africa's economic growth targets were missed, with only 0.1% in Q1 and 0.5% in Q2, falling short of the promised 3%.
• 💔 The country faces a severe jobs crisis, with unemployment sitting at 32% in Q1 and a staggering 42.4% (12.5 million people) overall, making it the second-highest globally.
• 🔍 The 2025 SONA was criticized for lacking a clear vision or plan for economic growth and job creation, despite the urgency of the crisis.

Infrastructure and Service Delivery

• 💧 Despite a promised 940 billion rand infrastructure rollout in 2025, there has been a notable lack of improvement in municipal service delivery, leading to issues like the severe water crisis in Johannesburg.
• 🚧 The failure to deliver on infrastructure development highlights a broader problem of mismanagement and under-delivery on promises made to citizens.

ESKOM and Electricity Crisis

• ✅ One significant area of partial delivery was the stabilization of ESKOM and a reduction in load shedding, though this was seen as fixing a problem that worsened under the current administration.
• ⚡ The unbundling of ESKOM is opposed by some, who argue it contributes to unaffordable electricity prices (over 900% increase since 2007) and does not solve immediate problems.
• 💰 Proposed solutions for the electricity crisis include government subsidies for households and companies, and capping NERSA electricity price increases at 3% with state funding for the difference.