Dear Mr President, this is what South Africans want to hear in your SONA speech

South Africans will want to know seven key things tomorrow. As South Africa prepares for President Cyril Ramaphosa’s next address State of the Nation Address, and the red-carpet parade, IOL compiled a list of pressing issues he should address A year ago, thePresident stood in Parliamentand sketched a vision of structural renewal, many of which had been achieved. Here’s what else we want to see: The 2025 promise of a “National Water Agency” was a start, but the pipes are still bursting.

TheIMF and Treasury saywe are limited at around 1.4% growth. To really fix unemployment, we need 3%. With new trade tariffs and changes in the US government (a major export market for our cars and fruit), our trade is at risk.

State capture left a massive scar, and people are tired of “commissions” that don’t lead to jail time. A look back at how government performed over the past year. Over 28 million people rely on some form of state support.

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With the cost of living still sky-high, the R370 grant is a hot topic. In 2025, the President promised to open our railways to private companies so that Transnet isn’t the only player on the tracks. Almost every town in South Africa is broke because the funding model doesn’t work. In 2025, he promised to review the “White Paper on Local Government” and change how municipalities get paid.

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