READ: President Cyril Ramaphosa’s State of the Nation Address in full

President Cyril Ramaphosa delivered his State of the Nation Address (Sona) before Parliament on Thursday in Cape Town.

Before delivering his ninth address, parties and unions expected Ramaphosa to outline concrete actions – not new plans – to grow the economy, create jobs and decisively tackle South Africa’s unemployment crisis. Government of national unity (GNU) parties and Cosatu want firm commitments from the president on stablising state-owned entities, reducing electricity costs, supporting infrastructure updates and addressing crime corruption and municipal debt.