By Phumla williams
When President Cyril Ramaphosa addressed the joint sitting of the two houses of Parliament, he not only outlined his vision for the country for the next five to ten years, but also encouraged our nation to turn dreams into reality. His State of the Nation Address was an encapsulation of the words of the French poet Anatole France that “to accomplish great things we must not only act, but also dream; not only plan, but also believe”.
The thrust of his message was to challenge each one of us to give our best in taking our country to a higher level of development. He spoke passionately of a country where no one goes to bed with an empty stomach, which has improved educational outcomes, and an economy that creates jobs and works for everyone.
While most people welcomed the address by President Ramaphosa, some pointed out the speech was short on details. Such views are natural in any democracy; the key would be to judge government on its outcomes in the months to come.
The State of the Nation Address sets out a broad and inspiring vision for the country, while further details on programmes and implementation plans are typically provided by various Ministers during their budget votes in July.
The President’s address marked the beginning of the sixth democratic Parliament after the national and provincial elections in May. It also coincided with the commemoration of 106 years since the Natives Land Act of 1913 became law in South Africa. He started his speech by referring to the tragic impact of this legislation whose legacy of inequality, poverty and division is still felt today.
This month, President Ramaphosa received the report of the Presidential Advisory Panel on Land Reform and Agriculture, which will soon be presented to Cabinet for consideration.
The panel’s recommendations will inform the finalisation of a comprehensive, far-reaching and transformative land reform programme.
As government, we remain committed to a land reform process, which is guided, by our Constitution and the rule of law. We are also certain that the land reform process will lead our country to even greater heights.
During his address, President Ramaphosa made public his intent to place South Africa’s economic growth at the forefront of the current administration. For instance he specifically mentioned sectors that would be given priority and have the potential to help us achieve higher economic growth. These include mining, energy, tourism, small medium enterprises, agriculture and agro-processing and ICT.
These sectors are aligned with seven priorities which will form the basis of the five-year programme of government and the National Development Plan.
At the same time, our President did not shy away from the need to double our efforts to ensure the quality of education is improved, starting from primary school all the way to the institutions of higher learning. “All other interventions will not produce the results we need unless we first ensure that children can read,” he said.
To achieve this vision, President Ramaphosa made it clear that time for action is now and that as a nation we should unite to solve the problems we continue to face. Our history shows that there is no problem we cannot solve when each one of us takes a vanguard role to build the country.
This year’s State of the Nation Address was an opportunity to build on the achievements of the last 25 years of freedom. Despite our achievements, government is the first to admit that more still needs to be done to improve the lives of people.
Therefore, the address highlighted what is required for South Africa to grow and this should challenge all of us to play an active role in shaping the future of this country.
The better tomorrow we all yearn for will only happen if all of us play our part. The generations who came before knew that change rested in their collective hands; as it now does in ours. By working together, we can build a new social compact where the skill and resources of all are valued and contribute to the nation of our collective dreams.
