SONA 2025: Unconvincing, uninspiring and more of the same hollow promises

President Ramaphosa’s SONA 2025 must go down as one of the longest hot air and uninspiring speeches we have heard in ages.

Much of the speech centred around fixing that which should not have been broken in the first place – rail, ports, hospitals and more. Many of the plans to address municipal degradation and water security have been spoken about before, and yet nothing changes. For decades our towns and cities have been in decline, whilst these same promises have been made. How are we expected to believe a President who has not delivered in the past?

The President spoke of SARS tackling and bringing down the illicit tobacco trade, which is far from the truth. More illicit cigarettes are sold than legal trade.

He also promised to tackle corruption and implement the recommendations of the Zondo Commission, yet it has been three years since the final report was released and we have yet to see meaningful progress in prosecuting those responsible for the looting of billions in public funds. The National Prosecuting Authority’s Investigating Directorate Against Corruption (IDAC) may have been made permanent, but where are the convictions? Where are the seized assets from corrupt officials who continue to enjoy impunity? The National Anti-Corruption Advisory Council programme has been developed and been waiting from the President’s endorsement and approval for over a year, but he has not signed off on it.

We have heard about efforts to strengthen law enforcement, yet South Africa remains plagued by organised crime syndicates controlling key industries such as mining, construction, and logistics. Despite previous commitments to crack down on illicit activities, crime cartels continue to flourish while honest businesses are extorted and citizens live in fear.

The President claimed that R10 billion has been recovered from state capture cases, yet this is a fraction of the estimated R500 billion lost to corruption under state capture. Where is the urgency in recovering the rest? The whistleblower protection framework remains incomplete, despite South Africa having lost brave individuals like Babita Deokaran, who paid the ultimate price for exposing corruption. The promise to implement a bill to address whistleblower protection is extremely long overdue. It requires urgency and the President did not give any indication as to the urgency of its implementation.

We are disappointed that very little was said about meaningful allocation of resources to upskill the criminal justice system. The promises of ensuring that the IDAC is fully resourced and has access to the information that it needs to prosecute state capture, and of the establishment of a “world-class digital forensics lab” are encouraging, but will be something we need to see. We have not heard the President provide input that is convincing in our fight against organised crime and syndicates that continue to plague the country.

Year after year, in SONA after SONA, we hear about reforms in public procurement, yet we continue to see contracts awarded to politically connected individuals and fraudulent tenderpreneurs. The Public Procurement Act has still not been effectively implemented to curb the manipulation of state contracts. Instead of ensuring transparency, government procurement remains a breeding ground for corruption.

The President's promise to strengthen municipalities by ring-fencing service utilities is another empty gesture when local governments are in complete disarray. The Auditor-General’s latest report paints a dire picture of financial mismanagement and dysfunction, with the vast majority of municipalities unable to deliver even the most basic services. Yet government refuses to act decisively against municipal corruption and incompetence.

The President says South Africa will not be bullied. But what do you call the unchecked extortion of businesses, the violent crime syndicates holding infrastructure projects hostage, and the criminal networks siphoning billions from state coffers? South Africans are being bullied—by corruption, by crime, and by a government that refuses to act decisively.

Sadly, our government suffers from a lack of trust by its people. This SONA speech was unconvincing and filled with waffle, stating the obvious. It was a speech clearly written to try to be uplifting and inspirational. It fell far short of that mark.

South Africans are tired of hearing the same promises year after year while corruption continues unchecked. We demand action—not words. The government has talked about a “nation that works for all”. But until there is genuine accountability and an end to impunity, South Africa will remain a country that works only for the corrupt.

More information

A soundclip with comment by Advocate Stefanie Fick, OUTA Executive Director, is here.