MK party defends Zuma’s term in office, warns Ramaphosa of looming defeat

Former finance minister Des van Rooyen during a media briefing in Pretoria on 13 April 2016. Photo: Gallo Images / Beeld / Theana Breugem The uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party has slammed President Cyril Ramaphosa’s State of the Nation Address (Sona), saying South Africa has deteriorated since he became president. As MPs debated Ramaphosa’s Sona on Tuesday, the MK party’s Des Van Rooyen said state institutions began to collapse in 2018, when Ramaphosa took office.

“Rail capacity declined after you took over in February 2018. Gini coefficient worsened after you took over… energy supply collapsed from 2020 and turned into rolling blackouts,” he said. Van Rooyen said Jacob Zuma was a far better president than Ramaphosa, despite therampant state capture under his two termsas head of state.

“The president speaks of rebuilding institutions after state capture but these institutions, Mr President, deteriorated after what you call nine wasted years,” he said. “MK says it was not the State of the Nation Address it was thestate of intent address. It described plans committees, task teams, another investment summit and what government hopes to do.

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“It failed to report and account to the nation about the performance of the disunited, so-called government of national unity (GNU). “In 2018 the president started his tenure with the ‘Thuma Mina’ slogan and he then went on to introduce South Africans to an imaginary story of Tintswalo under this slogan, and in the story we haveonly heard promises,” he said. He said reports of water supply challenges in Johannesburg are an indication that Ramaphosa and his government have failed to deliver the most basic services.

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