The Telegram RSA (17 Feb-2 Mar)

Tel The egram

By Staff Reporters

Accusatory fingers are pointing at President Cyril Ramaphosa’s administration for failing to come up with concrete and executable solutions to the myriad socio-economic problems affecting millions of South Africans.

Ramaphosa delivered his State of the Nation Address at a time when South Africa is in mounting predicaments. These include high unemployment rates, rampant corruption, debilitating load shedding, intensifying economic distress, intensifying violent crime, abject poverty and a long list of other socio-economic woes.

Ordinary citizens, analysts and economists at large have noted that the president has dismally failed to decisively deal with problems that have put the country under siege.

Promises upon promises

Some have gone as far as saying

he is only good at making empty promises.

Civil action group Outa, told businesstech.co.za that the president’s speech missed the mark, and delivered only more empty promises.

“The President’s State of the Nation Address failed to inspire confidence. He acknowledged many of the problems but did not offer believable solutions. He offered many promises, many of which we’ve heard before,” the group said.

“ It would be wonderful if all these promises were realised or even underway. The President sought to inspire hope, but he succeeded in reminding us how bad the situation is. His address confirms the country has been poorly managed for too long. ”

Yongama Zigebe of the UDM Youth Vanguard was more scathing in an interview on Newzroom Afrika.

“ Indeed, we would have preferred that the president sent us a

voice note or even chipped in with a WhatsApp document rather than wasting our time and having the EFF play their gimmicks which as a protest movement they believe was warranted.

“With this Sona, we expected nothing of the nothingness it was. It was a rehash of other State of the Nation Addresses the president has done. It ’s all promises and promises and there is no report back to say this is what we have done, this is what has trickled down to the people on the ground and the positive impact that we have seen happening, ” Zigebe said.

Hitting the right notes

The leader of the African Transformation Movement (ATM) Vuyolwethu Zungula wrote an open letter which was very scathing of Ramaphosa’s incumbency. He also took a swipe at the president, calling him “a constitutional delinquent”.

Zungula wrote: “In February 2018, President Ramaphosa themed

his tenure as New Dawn where he promised the citizens of South Africa Heaven and Earth. Some of the highlights of the promises included behaving ethically and espousing ethical leadership in honour of President Mandela.

“In his address, Mr Ramaphosa hit all the right notes and spoke about the creation of jobs, factories, roads, houses and clinics.

“Some of the empty promises that were made in the Feb 2018 SONA, included Radical Economic Transformation where he said women and communities would be owners, managers and even financiers. He said land distribution programmes would be accelerated.

“In hindsight, it is now clear that these were all lies to simply lure the voters to vote for his party in the 2019 National Elections. It ’s common cause that the ANC caucus in Parliament twisted the promised Expropriation Without Compensation which was part of Mr Ramaphosa ’s rhetoric in the February 2018 SONA.

“To the disgust of the left-leaning opposition parties including the ATM, we discovered that the Bill to amend s25 of the Constitution to enable Expropriation Without Compensation was now using a new phrase, “Expropriation With No Compensation”, instead, which, has the opposite effect. It ’s not clear why Mr Ramaphosa and his party undermined the intelligence of the nation through such failed primary school trickery.

“Beyond the 2019 elections and following his inauguration ceremony as the President of the Republic of South Africa, he made new promises in the June 2019 SONA in particular to reduce crime, however the latest report delivered by Minister Cele on 22 Aug 2022 paints a shocking picture of a country losing the war against crime.

“In the 2019 SONA, 500 000 housing units were promised, to date just under 14 000 were deliv -

Where is the hope. Photo by Ziyaad Douglas Gallo Images

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ered by the Housing Development Agency. There was also a Smart City promised near Lanseria Airport, where the earmarked land to this day remains a bush.

“The list of empty promises is endless. As recently as in Feb 2022 he promised a New Social Compact within 100 days, yet no less than

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President Thabo Mbeki is on record pointing out that, this objective was also not met. Needless to mention record high unemployment and load-shedding.”

In the letter written before the Sona, Zungula also took a swipe at the president, calling him a “constitutional delinquent.”

“Mr Ramaphosa has rendered himself a constitutional delinquent who should respect the people of South Africa by announcing his resignation on the 9th of February 2023 instead of peddling more lies under the guise of the State of the Nation Address.”

Missed opportunity

Writing in gsb.uct.ac.za , Athol Williams, a senior lecturer at the Allan Gray Centre for Values-Based Leadership, specialising in Corporate Responsibility and Ethical Leadership at the UCT GSB, observed: “This month ’s state of the nation address (SONA) was a great opportunity for President Cyril Ramaphosa to assert his authority; to show decisive and bold leadership, which will be pivotal if we are to start building a united nation and chart a new path of development, transformation and inclusive growth.

“However, the president once again failed to deliver or lead when it was most needed. This has become the hallmark of his tenure since ascending to the highest office in the land back in 2018. His early days in office were full of promise, but his presidency has been unravelling in recent times, and there has been little progress since the disastrous Jacob Zuma years.

“While there were some welcome announcements in his speech, such as the much-needed reforms in the electricity sector including the opening up of the energy market, and the building of nine new technical and vocational education and training (TVET) college campuses, his speech was more or less a long list of not-so-new promises which are very unlikely to be met, if his track record is anything to go by.”

Super presidency

Ramaphosa has been also accused by his critics of using the Sona to centralise power in the presidency. They argue he has no confidence in his cabinet hence the creation of what has been termed “a super

presidency”.

During the Sona, he announced the creation of a ministry of electricity which will be based in the presidency. In 2021 he moved state security to his office.

Qaanitah Hunter, the political editor of News24 warned that Ramaphosa had to exercise caution when it comes to the kitchen cabinet he is setting up at the Union Buildings, as it has the makings of causing more harm than Jacob Zuma ’s wingmen did in his name.

“The tension between having ministers and equally senior people reporting directly to the president in similar roles has persisted throughout the four years of Cyril Ramaphosa’s presidency. It’s a risky game that the president is playing,” wrote Hunter.

The leader of the main opposition, the Democratic Alliance, John Steenhuisen, is among those who expressed concern about the centralisation of power within the presidency. He made a passing reference that Ramaphosa was setting up a second cabinet in government that did not have parliamentary oversight.

“Instead of decentralising control and trusting in the market mechanism, Ramaphosa has opted to centralise even more power in his own Super Presidency – which lacks democratic oversight mechanisms, with Parliament lying in ruins and the Presidency having no portfolio committee to oversee it,” he said.

“More centralisation and less accountability is exactly the opposite of what South Africa urgently needs right now.”

I am right and they are wrong Ramaphosa dismissed the notion of a super presidency a day after the Sona, saying “the presidency was the centre of government” and there was nothing wrong with his placing theministry of electricity in his office.

Not only did he defend his controversial decision, but he also made a passing reference to the fact that he should be extolled for establishing the ministry in his office because it is an indication that he intends to have a firmer grip on the country’s costly electricity crisis.

“There is the notion that this is a ‘super presidency’ or we’re creating a super presidency which is also a misunderstanding of the

role that the centre of government must play.

“At one stage, people said they want the centre of government to be strong, and when we do so, they criticise and say “You’re giving too much power to the presidency.

“What the presidency has been able to do is to coordinate functions of government and to get a cooperative governance system and process to resolve many of our challenges. For instance, the reforms that we ’ ve been attending to have been driven through the presidency and Treasury and that has benefited our country and our economy,” he said.

The electricity National State of Disaster

After its lekgotla in January, the ANC’s National Executive Committee resolved that the government had to declare a National State of Disaster.

“In solving the energy crisis, the NEC Lekgotla encouraged the President of the Republic to declare a National State of Disaster, which will also require that the ANC reconnects with our communities and society,” the NEC announced.

It came as no surprise when Ramaphosa inserted the announcement in his Sona speech. He told the nation: “In a time of crisis, we need a single point of command and a single line of march.”

However, the declaration of the electricity State of Disaster has sparked serious concerns across different sectors of society, because of the extent of the multibillion-rand fraudulent tender and procurement processes during the two-year Covid-19 State of Disaster.

The DA which had called for a declaration of a state of disaster has now become its vociferous critic.

On the night of the Sona, the party released a statement deploring Ramaphosa’s declaration of a state of disaster. They have threatened to take the matter to court.

“The National State of Disaster under the guise of dealing with the load shedding crisis will similarly empower the ANC to abuse procurement processes and issue nonsensical regulations that have nothing to do with the electricity crisis. The DA will not sit back and allow the ANC to abuse the electricity disaster it created to loot and further abuse the people of South Africa,” read the DA statement.

The president laid into the DA

for its flip-flopping stance on the declaration.

“And it is quite interesting that they called for a state of disaster and now that we have declared it they are opposed to it for a very strange reason that there is going to be looting.

There’s not going to be any looting.

“Their criticism is misguided, and it is based on not understanding what we seek to achieve.

We are seeking to address the electricity crisis by declaring a state of disaster,” he explained.

Speaking to the Sunday Independent , Energy expert Adil Nchabeleng described the Sona as a declaration of the full privatisation of Eskom. His take is that the State of Disaster was declared to protect the pace of privatisation.

“The president is under a heavy lobby and influence, as well as pressure from the renewable energy IPP lobby, which is very powerful. It is an international lobby that is run by the World Bank,” charged Nchabeleng.

Prof Sethulego Matebesi the Associate Professor and Head of the Department of Sociology at the University of the Free State expressed his misgivings too, on the declaration. He said although the precise impact of the state of disaster, which began with immediate effect after its announcement in the SONA, cannot be determined at this stage, it is not premature to believe that the energy crisis will become a high-stake bidding game during the 2024 general elections.

“Objectively, it is hard not to agree with critics that a state of emergency will open the floodgates of collusion and corruption, which are distinct problems within South African public procurement. At this point, one wonders if this is not yet another gimmick to extend the patronage network of the presidency,” wrote Prof Matebesi in ufs. ac.za.

The ANC, however, hailed the declaration of the State of Disaster in what it described as a “decisive” Sona.

“The President has made it clear that with the challenges the country faces, it cannot be business as usual…

“This State of the Nation Address was about seeing hope where there is despair. It is about showing a way out of these crises,” said Mahlengi Bhengu-Motsiri, the ANC’s national spokesperson.

HOW WILL SOUTH AFRICA’S “STATE OF DISASTER” RESOLVE POWER CRISIS?

By Carien du Plessis and Kopano Gumbi

President Cyril Ramaphosa declared a state of disaster last Thursday to fight a paralyzing power crisis that in recent months has included daily rolling power cuts. What does this mean and how might it resolve a crisis that has been years in the making?

What is a national state of disaster?

The president has the power under the 2002 National Disaster Management Act to declare a crisis a National State of Disaster if existing legislation cannot adequately deal with the problem.

This gives the government powers to release available resources to tackle the disaster, appoint people to render emergency services and to bypass existing laws in the pro -

curement and delivery of goods and services.

It is implemented by a cabinet member who heads an intergovernmental committee to mitigate the disaster through co-ordination between national, provincial and municipal bodies and the National Disaster Management Centre.

How can it help resolve power crisis?

Under the declaration, Ramaphosa envisages faster rollout of generators and solar panels to ensure uninterrupted power supply for businesses in food production, storage and retail supply chains.

It would also exempt critical infrastructure such as hospitals and water treatment plants from rolling blackouts and limit regulatory requirements in procurement. There is no clarity yet on where the power supply for these places will come from.

Energy experts said that while the disaster status might not

resolve the power shortage, it would help the government do away with a lengthy procurement system and hasten coordination between different government agencies and stakeholders, including power utilities, energy regulators, and the private sector.

It can also do away with litigation and public participation processes that are usually a requirement for new measures.

It could also lead to a rapid uptake of solar in public sector buildings such as hospitals, schools and municipal buildings through a nationalised central tendering process. The government is looking at funding schemes for easier access to solar panels and also at cutting down the time taken to award projects.

When was it last implemented and has it worked in the past?

This is the third time in as many years that the government

has invoked the national disaster state. It was implemented in March 2020 to deal with the coronavirus pandemic and again last April following devastating flooding in the eastern province of KwaZulu-Natal.

While it is difficult to quantify the impact of the proclamation, in the past the announcement has enabled the government to offer aid in the form of grants, to release resources to make available food and shelter and to offer relief to sectors such as employers and employees and small businesses.

Its effectiveness combatting the power crisis could be more measurable as Ramaphosa has said it will help “in a massive increase in power to the grid over the next 12 to 18 months.”

What are experts saying on the announcement?

South Africa’s main opposition, the Democratic Alliance, has said it will mount a legal challenge

against the government for declaring the state of disaster, alleging the government abused procurement processes during the COVID19 pandemic.

The legislation was used to enable health authorities to respond more swiftly to the pandemic, but some analysts doubt it will help the government expand power supply much quicker.

Analysts have also warned the sweeping powers could lead to more corruption, with less scrutiny of the tendering.

Ramaphosa said as part of the state of disaster he would appoint a new minister in the president’s office to deal with electricity, which critics said would lead to bureaucratic delays as two other cabinet portfolios exist to deal with both Eskom and the energy sector. - reuters.com

Additional reporting by Promit Mukherjee - Writing by Promit Mukherjee - Editing by James Chege Macharia and Frances Kerry

Gauteng Premier, Panyaza Lesufi will on Monday, 20 February 2023, deliver his inaugural State of the Province Address (SOPA), under the theme: “Together, Changing the face of Townships, Informal Settlements and Hostels”.

The address will provide an update on the Growing Gauteng Together (GGT20230) Plan of Action and the Elevated Priorities, namely:

1. Economic Recovery and Reconstruction;

2. Strengthening the fight against crime, corruption, vandalism and lawlessness;

3. Changing the living conditions in Townships, Informal Settlements and Hostels (TISH);

4. Prioritosing the Health and Wellness of the people of Gauteng and;

5. Strengthening the capacity of state to deliver services.

ESKOM’S FAILURE TO FURTHER CRIPPLE SOUTH AFRICA’S AILING ECONOMY

By Staff Reporters

Load-shedding is wreaking havoc in the country’s economy with daily losses estimated at just over R4 billion. Experts fear it may get worse and subsequently push the country further into recession.

Bloomberg says the South African economy has shrunk in the final quarter of 2022 and this trend will continue for the three months through March.

“Statistics agency data showed mining and manufacturing output, which makes up about a fifth of total gross domestic product, declined in the December quarter. South Africa’s economy is increasingly vulnerable to a recession in the next 12 months, with an ongoing electricity crisis seen further curbing activity,” Bloomberg reported.

According to the Bloomberg report, this places the country on the probability of a recession at 68%, up from odds of 45% in January.

This prediction comes after Eskom announced that rolling blackouts are likely to persist for at least two more years as the stateowned power utility overhauls its ageing, mostly coal-fired plants.

“One solution that can permanently deal with load shedding is to fix Eskom as soon as possible,” Kganki Matabane, BBC’s CEO, told Al Jazeera, saying other proposed solutions like utilising independent power producers and solar energy were like “putting a bandage on a broken arm”.

“In South Africa, we have an installed capacity of 47,000MW … but we are only using 26,000MW at the peak.

“So, it’s like you have a house with four rooms, but you can only use one room. So for us, the easiest solution is to first fix the rooms in the house. We want the government to put all its efforts into fixing Eskom, we believe we can reduce the load shedding from Stage 6 to Stage 4,” said Matabane. South Africa experienced more load-shedding in one month (January 2023 — 29 days of load-shedding) than in 12 months in 2019 where there were 22 days of load-shedding.

According to data from the popular South African load-shedding tracking and monitoring App, ESP.info, there were 35 days of load-shedding in 2020.

The CEO Mikel Mabasa of the National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa (NAAMSA), the situation was unfortunate as the industry was severely affected.

“Unfortunately, it looks like load-shedding will be with us for

the next few years. South Africa urgently needs new generation capacity to plug the gap ASAP. South Africa’s auto sector is huge and is a key contributor to the South African economy.

“Companies and organisations involved in the design, development, manufacturing, marketing, importation, exportation, and selling of motor vehicles help employ over 100,000 people in South Africa.

“It is one of the country’s largest economic sectors by revenue and contributes 4.3% to the country’s GDP (2.4% manufacturing and 1.9% retail). The industry accounts for 17.3% of the country’s manufacturing output and is the country’s 5th largest exporting sector out of all 104 sectors and accounts for 18.1% of the total expo,” explained Mabasa.

Small Businesses

Small businesses will be hardest hit as the economy takes this huge

knock as a result of load shedding, according to a blog written by Marc Bromhall in smesouthafrica.co.za.

“When looking at how load-shedding affects small businesses, one of the main issues is a loss of production. All kinds of businesses and industries require electricity to produce their products and services. This can include businesses in manufacturing, services that use electrical equipment (like auto mechanics), restaurants, and more,” wrote Bromhall. It says losing electrical supplies results in a pause in the day’s work. This could mean a significant loss of business, not being able to fulfil orders or customer requests, or producing product shortages.

“Small businesses have endless challenges that they need to face each day, and load-shedding can be one of the worst. It forces businesses to close for a large portion of the day. This has many repercussions, all of which result in impacted revenue and profits,” said Bromhall.

These same fears are shared by FNB senior economist Thanda Sithole who told BusinessTech he expects South Africa to suffer through at least 250 days of load

shedding in 2023, predominantly at stage 4.

“This is significantly higher than expectations from the South African Reserve Bank (SARB), which projected 200 days of outages at its Monetary Policy Committee briefing in January.

“The 200 days of expected load shedding was a key factor in the SARB cutting South Africa’s GDP growth prospects for the year to just 0.3%. If the number of actual days exceeds this outlook, chances are the wider economy will undershoot that target as well,” Sithole told BusinessTech

Darker days for economic growth

South Africa has already experienced over 40 days of load shedding in 2023 – every single day since the start of the new year – and has been in a state of near-permanent load shedding since September 2022.

Energy experts have pointed to load shedding in 2023 as being just as bad as in 2022, where the country experienced 207 days of outages, but with no end to the energy crisis on the horizon, ana-

lysts are constantly adjusting their predictions.

While Eskom and the national government have spurred some hope that grid relief will be coming by the middle of the year, it is generally accepted that load shedding will be a regular feature in the country for the next 18 months.

Ratings agency Moody’s Investors Service has issued a warning that South Africa’s economic growth could slump below 1% in 2023 due to the ongoing severe power.

Moody’s vice-president senior credit officer, Aurelien Mali, warned that the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) was now likely to track below their previously downward growth forecast of 1% in 2023.

He told Independent Online this outcome would be significantly lower than the National Treasury’s downwardly revised growth forecast of 1.6% and the 1.1% growth earmarked by the SA Reserve Bank in 2023.

Mali said the multiple breakdowns at Eskom’s power stations responsible for record levels of load shedding were going to endure and cripple any marked activity this year.

Ratings agency Moody’s Investors Service has issued a warning that South Africa’s economic growth could slump below 1% in 2023 due to the ongoing severe power.

Load shedding has led to daily losses estimated at just over R4 billion. Photo by Clive Maasch

Small businesses have endless challenges that they need to face each day, and loadshedding can be one of the worst.

COULD THE NATIONAL STATE OF DISASTER SPELL DISASTER FOR SA?

By Staff Reporters

While energy experts are sceptical about the president’s plans, the opposition is fiercely against President Cyril Ramaphosa’s national state of disaster that the matter is already headed to the courts.

During his 7 th State of the Nation Address (SONA) on February 9, Ramaphosa announced that “the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs has just gazetted the Declaration of the State of Disaster, which will begin with immediate effect.”

He said the state of disaster will enable government to provide practical measures that are needed to support businesses in food production, storage and retail supply chain, including the rollout of generators, solar panels and uninterrupted power supply. He also announced that he will be appointing a new Minister of Electricity who will be placed in the presidency.

But the opposition wouldn’t hear of it.

“The National State of Disaster under the guise of dealing with the load shedding crisis will similarly empower the ANC to abuse procurement processes and issue nonsensical regulations that have nothing to do with the electricity crisis. The DA will not sit back and allow the ANC to abuse the electricity disaster it created to loot and further abuse the people of South Africa,” said DA leader John Steenhuisen in a statement.

The official opposition said the possible declaration of the Electricity State of Disaster had raised concern across business and civil society, given the extent of tender and procurement corruption in the two-year Covid-19 State of Disaster and lockdown.

The GOOD opposition party also called on the president to share his plan to “fix” troubled power utility Eskom and introduce the affordable implementation of a just energy transition to solar.

GOOD said South Africa had endured 193 000 minutes of load-shedding last year as Eskom strived to avoid a total collapse of the national grid due to power generation failing to meet demand.

The Mail & Guardian reported that the Solidary Trade Union were already opposed to the idea before the SONA.

“Questions were raised over what the State of Disaster would contribute towards resolving South Africa’s energy crisis, given the availability of existing legislative routes for emergency funding and procurement regulatory relief.

“The trade union sent Ramaphosa a “cautionary note” that it would litigate if he announced a state of disaster in response to the electricity crunch, either during the address or at any other occasion,” the M&G reported.

It quoted Connie Mulder, head of the Solidarity Research Institute

saying “the state of disaster was meant for a disaster, not for poor governance.”

Meanwhile, the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa), accused the government of using disaster emergency to create conditions for privatising the country’s energy.

Numsa general secretary Irvin Jim said the ongoing rolling power cuts were a crisis, which had been deliberately imposed by Ramaphosa’s leadership in order to connect more Independent Power Producers into the grid for the sole intention of privatising energy provision.

Numsa is part of several organisations which have filed urgent court papers at the North Gauteng High

Court to stop the rolling blackouts due to their detrimental impact on health, the economy and jobs.

The multi-party court action includes the UDM, BuildOneSA, the Health and Allied Indaba Trade Union, the Soweto Action Committee, IFP, ActionSA, and SA Federation of Trade Unions, small businesses, political parties and other trade unions.

The Health and Allied Workers Indaba Trade Union (Haitu) joined Numsa in demanding that government compensate families for unnecessary deaths caused by load shedding.

Energy expert Chris Yelland said the president’s announcement of the State of Disaster and the cre-

ation of the Ministry of Electricity would create confusion in an already intricate operation.

“So, we now have five main ministries and ministers involved with electricity governance in South Africa, with ministers that are often at odds with each other in this regard, and where it is often clear that they do not share a common vision,” he told The Telegram.

He pointed out turf battles between the Minster of Minerals Resources and Energy (DMRE) and the new ministry saying, “DMRE has its minister – responsible for energy and electricity policy, planning and regulation, coal, oil, gas and liquid fuel supply, and security of electricity supply.”

He said the new ministry was also headed for a head budding with the Department of Public Enterprise (DPE) and its minister.

“This department and its minister are responsible for oversight over Eskom as shareholder representative, as well as structural reform, restructuring, unbundling, establishing the independent National Transmission Company of SA, and the Just Energy Transition (JET).

“It is unclear how the Department of Electricity and the new minister of Electricity in the Presidency, responsible to resolve the electricity crisis, the Eskom recovery plan, and the end to load shedding, will implement the specific actions of the state of disaster without encroaching of this department,” he said.

Yelland pointed out that the other layer of the confusion comes with COGTA and its minister who are responsible for the management of the state of disaster as well as for municipalities and resolving municipal arrear debt to Eskom, local government and cooperative governance.

“National Treasury and its minister are responsible for money matters, rescuing Eskom from its debt trap, obtaining JET funding of over R1-trillion, resolving municipal arrear debt to Eskom, ensuring funding for diesel, and funding the actions coming out of the state of disaster declared in electricity.

“Truly a complex environment indeed, especially where the leaders do not share a common vision, and perhaps not well suited to quick and decisive action,” said Yelland.

Members of #NotInMyName marched in Pretoria on January 20. Photo by Phill Magakoe/AFP Government has declared an electricity national state of disaster. Photo by esi-africa.com

South African money rands. Photo by Nic Bothma

MORE ACCOUNTABILITY IS BEING SHIFTED AWAY FROM THE CABINET

There could be a possibility that President Cyril Ramaphosa has clear plans of what the task of the Minister of Electricity will do. Clear deliverables and clear timeframes must be put to the plans for it to turn out positive. As things stand the risk is that we are creating yet another centre of power in the effort to drive reform and change for the sector, including Eskom.

By Busisiwe Mavuso

Organised business is a determined partner to the government in assisting to deliver an environment conducive to economic growth. That is why I listened very carefully to the president’s State of the Nation speech last week. How is it that business can assist?

As the president well knows, it is extremely difficult for many businesses to make investments in the current environment. Load shedding is the most obvious challenge. On that front, business has been a strong supporter of the National Electricity Crisis Committee (NECOM) which has worked hard to identify the many interventions that can help to relieve the crisis.

I was eager to hear what new plans the president may have to drive the recommendations coming from the committee forward.

Two things stood out in his speech: the creation of a new post for an electricity minister and the declaration of a state of disaster. But neither provided a clear opportu-

nity for business to partner. Indeed, I am concerned that both have the potential to disrupt the ways business is working with government on solving these problems now.

Let me start with the concept of an electricity minister. The first problem is that it is unclear what legislative function such a minister can perform. The responsibilities regarding Eskom and electricity policy are clearly assigned – the minister of public enterprises must exercise shareholder responsibilities and the minister of mineral resources and energy must set the electricity policy. These legislated responsibilities cannot be reassigned on a whim.

We need to drive and complete the restructuring of Eskom, unbundling an independent system operator as the main step. The sooner that happens, the sooner we will be on the path to dealing with the structural problems of our electricity sector.

The question I was left pondering was why the president is appointing a new minister rather than putting people into the ministries currently tasked with the responsibilities to drive that restructuring.

I appreciate the president’s view that the minister will oversee the work of NECOM, but in fact what is needed are ministers in public enterprises and minerals and energy who will expeditiously drive through the work of the committee, not another minister.

Last month BLSA together with Business Unity South Africa wrote to the president to share our thoughts on the upcoming cabinet reshuffle.

We wrote that the “expectations of the Presidency can be overplayed, which is why we think it is important that accountability for delivery is shared by Cabinet as a whole.”

But the appointment of an electricity minister within the presidency clearly goes against this view. Yet more accountability is being shifted away from the cabinet and into the presidency. Perhaps the president has a clear plan and there is a positive role for such a minister. I would welcome it. If there are clear deliverables and clear timeframes put to them, it could turn out to be positive. But the risk is that we create yet another centre of power in the

effort to drive reform and change for the sector, including Eskom. As it is, Eskom’s leadership has to account to many stakeholders and a third minister does not seem to help the predicament the SOE faces.

The state of disaster is a similar move in which it is far from clear that it will be positive for the business environment. The state of disaster at the start of Covid left citizens reeling from a lack of accountability – widespread procurement fraud and gross violations of the rights of citizens. It also undermines the rule of law, potentially damaging business confidence. So how will this one be different? What is it that a state of disaster allows that cannot be done anyway?

The president’s speech did not make that clear, and days later there still had not been any regulations published in terms of the state of disaster, so we are none the wiser. But again, I am open to being convinced – if it really helps solve this crisis, I would welcome it.

It is critical that guard rails be put in place to prevent the abuses we have seen in previous states of disaster. There are considerable risks that must be managed. But if again, a plan is provided with clear timetables and deliverables, particularly for when the state of disaster will end, perhaps it will be of value.

Organised business will be actively engaging with our counterparts in the presidency to give them the opportunity to convince us. And if they succeed, we will be enthusiastic partners.

The departure of the head of the president’s climate finance task team, Daniel Mminele, as well as the resignation of Eskom CEO André de Ruyter have heightened fears that SA’s JET is “up in the air”, I wrote in News24 Business SA’s energy transition is inevitable and is progressing in certain areas. Eskom’s decommissioning of the Komati power station is an example. But political obstacles and the lack of transparency around the process are concerning, with international donors urging faster implementation.

In looking into areas where BLSA can improve conditions for whistle-blowers, we’ve heard some truly heartbreaking accounts of how the lives of these brave people are destroyed, I wrote in Business Day Whistle-blowers have been instrumental in fighting corruption yet there are no official support structures, and they must grapple with income loss, legal threats, death threats and depression.

The US has laws that provide financial incentives for whistle-blowers to report evidence of wrongdoing. There’s a strong argument for that in SA. We must use every weapon we have to eradicate corruption from our society and implement recommendations of the Zondo Commission for structures and processes to be established to combat corruption.

Busisiwe Mavuso is the CEO of Business Leadership South Africa (BLSA). This article first appeared in hub.blsa.org.za

President Cyril Ramaphosa’s speech did not shed light on how the state of disaster will work. Photo by South African Parliament/ Twitter

DON’T YOU DARE CHALLENGE OUR AFRICANNESS MR PRESIDENT

swallowed the sickening pill.

The part that had the Xaba goat prancing around with rage was the gibberish President Cyril Ramaphosa uttered in the opening of his lame SONA. The president had the dumbfounding gumption to describe us as a nation defined by ‘hope and resilience’.

To describe us as being a tolerant nation and how we were not defined by the features of our land thoroughly irked me. All the gallant fighters who gave their lives did it for the land, freedom and independence that was taken away from us through the Gatling gun.

The queens and kings who were tortured, murdered and some reduced to nonentities did not resist colonialism to gain hope. It was about the land and its abundant beauty and massive wealth and the restoration of the dignity of the oppressed.

our nationhood. They and nothing else are at the heart of our nation’s identity.

To both the grandchildren of the beneficiaries and victims of land dispossession, the most brazen act of greed and racial oppression as espoused by the Natives Land Act of 1913, the contours and minerals of this land are everything!

The pain of the struggle for freedom was about nothing else but the birthright of the oppressed to defeat the consolidated white settler regime that deprived nearly 90% of blacks of 93% of their land.

For the oppressed, the land speaks to the gamut of historical experiences comprising murder, genocide, destruction of existing knowledge and large-scale dispossession of indigenous occupancy.

rooibos tea are incredible symbols of our uniqueness, there are very few things that represent our diversity as flawlessly as our national anthem.

The president knows the solemness of that goes with each moment we sing the national anthem with our right hands glued to our chests, from a toddler at a daycare centre to the oldest of citizens of a 60 million strong nation.

With the greatest passion, one only befitting a cry for nationhood, we pray to the heavens: Nkosi Sikelel iAfrika Maluphakanyisw’ uphondo lwayo, (Lord bless Africa May her glory be lifted high.)

The national consensus is that President Cyril Ramaphosa’s blabbering on February 9 intended as a reflection of the state of our nation was an absolute annoyance and a waste of time and money.

I tried to be a reasonable guy under unreasonable circumstances. I was more forgiving even though it was in defiance of the wise voice screaming from the depth of my soul of souls.

I was more than content to direct my gaze and attention elsewhere. Hard as it was, I pardoned nearly everything; the misdiagnosis, the unrealistic suggestions, even the vulgar extravagance of the red-carpet parade and its luxurious grandeur amidst the sea of poverty and misery of the state-sponsored darkness. Bitter as it was, I grinned and

The resilience of freedom fighters was never about restoring hope as an identity; it was to return us to the beauty and splendour of the land that had given life.

I cringed when I heard Ramaphosa say: “For we are a nation defined not by the oceans and rivers that form the boundaries of our land.

“We are not defined by the minerals under our earth or the spectacular landscape above it.

“We are not even defined by the languages we speak or the songs we sing or the work we do.

“We are, at our most essential, a nation defined by hope and resilience.”

Goodness gracious me, just what in the name of freedom was he implying?

What the hack got into the heads of the president’s speech writers?

This land, and everything in and on it, are the very basis of

That importance of the land even found expression in the national anthem, code of arms and even provision of the constitution because, to this day, not much has changed for the black majority. We are still in the struggle for land ownership. So, our personhood and “being” revolve around the earth and all that walks on it, the heavens, the waters and all that live in it, the natural landscape, the atmosphere and livestock.

If you are comfortable with it, to the point of acceptance, please exclude us from the colonisers’ insult to commodify our land to be purchased and sold at their will as a mere piece of property. To us, this land is our very being!

Having been at the forefront of South Africa ’s negotiated breakthrough which sought to redress the imbalances of the past and build a new, united and democratic society, the president should know this.

Being South African is one of the best things in the world to be. And while braai vleis, vuvuzelas and

Morena boloka setjhaba sa heso, O fedise dintwa le matshwenyeho, O se boloke, O se boloke setjhaba sa heso, Setjhaba sa, South Afrika, South Afrika. (Lord we ask You to protect our nation, Intervene and end all conflicts, Protect it, protect our nation, The nation of South Africa, South Africa.)

Declaring that; “Uit die blou van onse hemel, Uit die diepte van ons see, Oor ons ewige gebergtes, Waar die kranse antwoord gee,” (From the blue of our skies, from the depths of our seas, over our everlasting mountains, where the echoing crags resound).

All this can never be meaningless.

Least of all, it can never be rendered trivial by our head of state.

It was even stranger to watch the president utter these rather unfortunate words with the country’s code of arms covering his person on the podium and the national flag above him in the parliamentary chamber at the city hall.

Surely the president knows about the code of arms that shielded his person on the podium. He knows about the secretary bird displayed and the protea flower with outer petals. He does have memories about South Africa’s new flag and how it

was first hoisted during the elections – on April 27, 1994.

He most certainly appreciates its huge symbolism to our nationhood. What its first official appearance at the presidential inauguration on May 10, 1994, means to this nation. It became the official symbol of the new democracy and was adopted into South Africa’s new constitution in 1996.

Above all this, the president is aware that the design of South Africa’s new flag represented the unification of the diverse nation into one democratic state. The “Y” illustrates the convergence and the path ahead.

The black isosceles triangle: the determination of the black race and the blue the Atlantic and Indian Oceans or the wide sky overhead; truth, loyalty. The red bloodshed during the wars; bravery; strength and green the fertility of the land; love, hope, and joy for the land; and that the yellow in the flag represents the mineral wealth that is below the soil; gold and white the white population; honesty; peace.

How on earth do you wish to define us outside our norms, our heritage, the nationhood and its symbols?

With due respect, I think the president without any justification whatsoever, went off tangent to speak nonsense.

Your incoherent apology does not hold with me and many other South Africans; as such I will proudly proclaim what former President Thabo Mbeki said in 1996 : “I am an African. I owe my being to the hills and the valleys, the mountains and the glades, the rivers, the deserts, the trees, the flowers, the seas, and the ever-changing seasons that define the face of our native land.”

Don’t ever challenge this assertion…ever again!

TAKE MBANGWA XABA

“I owe my being to the hills and the valleys, the mountains and the glades, the rivers, the deserts, the trees, the flowers, the seas and the everchanging seasons that define the face of our native land.” – Thabo Mbeki

WE NEED A STATESMAN, NOT HOPE

South Africa is packed with dangerously ambitious political leaders who lie their way to power, while there are a negligible few equipped with attributes of good leadership.

Our country finds itself staring into a dark pity of disaster because many of our political leaders have a severe deficiency in certain fundamental qualities of a good leader, such as integrity and accountability. They are nowhere near the principles of leadership, and no matter how hard you look, you will never see any indication of a dutiful political leader across all political parties.

Their primary objective is to get elected in order to have unlimited access to a cafeteria overflowing with illicit buffet. They are masters of flip-flops on critical issues as the political sands shift. They make lofty promises, but when the proverbial rubber hits the road, they come up with a truckload of tricks on why they cannot deliver on even one promise.

The lot that passes themselves off as revolutionaries mysteriously develop crippling bouts of amnesia the moment they get elected.

It never crosses their minds that good political leadership is vital in determining the allocation of resources through sound policies, establishing partnerships with relevant stakeholders and making dependable decisions that will have a positive impact on the nation’s well-being and all citizens.

We are witnesses to how the current crop of leaders have no desire to focus on South Africa ’s long-term betterment, above and beyond their short-term personal benefits. We have coalition arrangenments in several municipalities that are collapsing. In their quest to flex their political muscles and nutrify their unbridled ambition, they have thrown the voter ’s needs into a crocodile-infested dam.

At The Telegram , just like all citizens of this country, we yearn for formidable political leadership endowed with a fusion of charm, honesty, and the capacity to evaluate circumstances and make good judgment calls based on what will be better for the nation.

A disciplined political leader’s primary goal should always be representing the interests of the electorate, not just themselves. We are know that the reality of politics is generally complex and often messy, but great leaders are able to balance their actions with what is right for the country and commit themselves to living by the maxim, the country before party and self.

Coalition governing is the disaster that it has become because those elected to represent the people have their sight set on the party mandate and accessing a financially rewarding office.

None of the parties in

the vat en sit arrangements called coalition is willing and able to take proper action in the interest of the municipalities when the need arises.

Principally leadership in a democratic dispensation requires statesmanship instead of being just a ‘politician’. It is therefore important for the person seeking political office to possess the morality and ability to stand up for what is fair and just.

Statesmanship

Today our country is moribund because at the top there is no statesman.

An online newsletter called work.chron.com unpacks the importance of a stateman – somebody we will wish for until the end of time.

The general view of a statesman is of someone interested in the common good of constituents and not his ego.

Statesmanship Qualities and Principles

Statesmen stand on a platform of fundamental truths. They believe in specific core values and don ’t change beliefs to get ahead in politics. A statesman, however, may change his policies and methods of going about achieving his goals. He may even be criticised for doing so, but he believes that short-term sacrifice is necessary for long-term triumph. According to the author of Politics Among Nations , Hans J. Morgenthau, statesmen are political realists. They look at policy in terms of its effect on the nation.

Statesmanship and Vision

Statesmen have a clearly defined vision for their country and constituents. A statesman knows exactly what he wants to accomplish during his time in office. This requires foresightto recognize that he will confront problems and will need solutions to realise his goals. A statesman must be a good leader to build consensus with the people around his ideas. He is a prolific orator, able to incite participation and movements with intelligent arguments. A statesman believes in his message, and he has to keep his word to continue to form supportaround his ideas, unpopular though they may be.

2024 is around the corner and our country needs a statesman more than ever before. If we do not end up with a statesman after next year’s elections, then will we have to put up with more decades of massive rolling blackouts, mediocre education outcomes, inequality, mounting unemployment, frighteningly high crime levels, rampant corruption, divestiture, dysfunctional municipalities and bankrupt state-owned entities.

SOUTH AFRICA IS GOVERNED BY MERCHANTS OF EMPTY PROMISES

If a visitor of average intelligence were to visit South Africa, say from Neptune, he would be surprised why a governing party that has plundered the country into a state of disaster, declares a national state of disaster on electricity.

The Neptunian would laugh himself silly listening to an evasive and indecisive president assuring South African earthlings that his administration is committed to keeping the lights on by creating a super presidency that will now house a minister of electricity.

Mr Neptunia would also like to know why the presiding South African earthling does not take heed of what Standing Committee on Public Accounts (Scopa) chairperson, IFP MP Mkhuleko Hlengwa, amongst many, said.

“Every time your ministers don’t perform, instead of firing them you protect them by taking things into the Presidency. Be decisive, Mr President. Fire them! Don’t have a nanny Cabinet… If they are not working, fire them,” said Hlengwa.

Neptunia, just like me and my fellow earthlings consider what Hlengwa said to be common sense: “It seems to us you have no confidence in your own ministers. Most, if not all functions currently located in the Presidency should actually be in departments.”

President Ramaphosa, in his trademark evasive style lashed out at critics saying, “There are those who in this house who instead of what I would call merchants of hope, have cast themselves as merchants of despair. They have determined that their political fortunes are best served by depicting a country in chaos — instead of being parties that acknowledge the challenges and that are determined to work together to find solutions so that we leave no one behind.”

The unfortunate thing is that Ramaphosa ignores the reality of ‘merchants of despair’ being in the party he leads – the ANC.

Mr President, your fear to derail the ANC gravy train and your indecision have had a direct bearing on what is happening in our country.

We have the so-called merchants of despair purely because of a corrupt, inept, indolent, ideologically sluggish, incompetent, pompous, narcissistic governing party which for nearly thirty years has reigned over the decline of the nation’s fortunes.

We are where we are because of the wholesale looting of state resources for decades. We have been burdened with a government which magnificently delivered empty promises, and brought hopelessness and despair. Wrong policy priorities have caused unending misery for the majority of black people. The catastrophic lack of clear policies has made our freedom an illusion. Socio-economic disparities have made South Africa

an international pariah, once again.

Defending the indefensible

It is common knowledge that Ramaphosa’s merry band of two-timing praise singers have fashioned his default setting of avoiding telling or facing the truth and saying exactly what he thinks about his comrades, as playing a long and well-planned game.

His power-hypnotised and forked tongue defenders have never missed an opportunity to drum it to the nation that he is a composed character whose humble demeanour enables him to deeply listen to wise counsel before he makes a move.

Words come out of their mouths at supersonic speed as they force us to accept that Ramaphosa takes time drinking from the well of wisdom of the wise owls before making a decision.

The favour-seekers never tire of pontificating about a man who draws from experiences of people laden with lasersharp insights and practical knowledge he does not have.

The man himself dresses his evasiveness as “applying my mind”. Take the case of the resignation of the country’s Deputy President, David Mabuza; we are still waiting for him to tell us what he has decided.

All he could say was, “Mabuza had indicated his wish to step down from his position. This is a request I am considering and attending to.”

I am therefore not surprised when some of his harshest critics have him down as a “major space cadet.”

(A person who forgets, daydreams, or otherwise is distracted from reality more often than most.)

It is well and good that Ramaphosa has declared a national state of disaster, but the real reasons why Eskom has failed so dismally have not been forthcoming.

Let me say it again repeat, the ANC has reneged on its promise of bringing a better life for all by serving the narrow and private interests of greedy power brokers inside and outside its ranks. The party has shamelessly committed a moral and ethical injustice against the people of South Africa, especially the black majority, 29 million of whom survive on social grants. It is a disastrous record that is becoming difficult to defend.

In an opinion piece written by Mandy Wiener on ewn.co.za titled Show us the action man we hoped for, President Ramaphosa, she quotes the Centre for Development and Enterprise’s executive director Ann Bernstein who questioned the president’s aptitude to lead South Africa out of the crisis.

“An honest diagnosis needs to dig deeper than the President wants to go and include his five years as president. We need to look at bad ideas translated into bad policies, a failed strategy, its terrible consequences, no credible the-

ory of how to change SA and therefore no priorities. The result? A country in decline driven by crises that are never resolved, but to which the same ‘solutions’ are endlessly applied,” Bernstein said.

Let me give the remaining space to an extract from an opinion piece written by Prof Sethulego Matebesi, Associate Professor and Head of the Department of Sociology at the University of the Free State.

Disastrous decisions are a recipe for catastrophic events

“There has never been a time in South African history since 1994 that our presidents have not faced one scandal or another. After having temporarily thwarted the Phala Phala saga and emerging victorious as leader of the ANC at the 55th National Conference in December 2022, one would assume that President Ramaphosa would have assimilated the lessons from past events.

“The post-SONA 2023 political landscape points to a challenging year for Ramaphosa. It is a truism that an organisation’s culture is determined by its leader. And since politics is not an exercise in objectivity, it is for this reason that several expected decisions by President Ramaphosa will determine how he will navigate between being regarded as a heroic figure and a victim of political persecution.

“Another major decision facing President Ramaphosa is the much-anticipated cabinet reshuffle.

Deputy President David Mabuza’s announcement that he resigned, only to be asked by Ramaphosa to hang on, provides a fascinating insight into how difficult it can become to exercise what some may regard as the mundane task of replacing cabinet ministers. And looking at the organisational footprint of the ANC, I reckon President Ramaphosa will avoid a situation where a cabinet reshuffle becomes another political hot potato from within his own organisation.

“There is a fierce power war waging within the ANC. As a result, time will tell whether the president will be brave enough to replace poor-performing ministers instead of using proxies such as the new Minister of Energy.

“And to be clear – why we fail to confront underperforming ministers and public servants is a vexing question.

“Indications are that there seems to be no aversion to brevity when it comes to political expediency, but to live up to the responsibility of accelerating structural reforms that significantly impact the country’s growth trajectory positively and reduce policy uncertainty. Continuing to routinely neglect these obligations is bound to create a more extensive trust gap between the government and citizens.”

Will they ever move us from despair to hope? Photo by Leila Dougan/dailymaverick.co.za

SHOTS ACROSS THE BOW FROM BOTH SIDES OF THE HOUSE AS ELECTIONEERING FOR 2024 GETS UNDERWAY

By Marianne Merten

ANC Chief Whip Pemmy Majodina opened the State of the Nation Address (Sona) debate, saying the governing party would “debunk falsehoods [of] some politicians and media that this President and government [have] not done anything”. The ANC would not grandstand and abuse the debate, unlike others in the House, she said.

But the turn to gutter politics did come from the ANC. Police Minister Bheki Cele was in pursuit of potshots at DA leader John Steenhuisen, who had described the opposition party as “the only game in town”, come the 2024 elections to pull South Africa out of the crisis.

“I want to make a clarion call today, especially to DA women, that as we see these problems of gender-based violence… they could not have allowed their leader to make the statement about his ex-wife; he called her a flat chicken, he called her a roadkill,” said Cele in reference to Steenhuisen’s deeply inappropriate comments in an August 2022 interview.

And a little later, while calling on all South Africans to work together against GBV, Cele returned to his fellow KwaZulu-Natalian.

“The invitation also goes to Honourable Steenhuisen. We want to hear you apologise… to use a young woman, who came to work in your office and who was the wife of your colleague, and you took that wife of your colleague, and you divorce your own wife. You took that young girl; she is your wife today. But the women around you are quiet. So, you better go and fix yourself. If not, we will help you.”

Point of order

The DA leader was let down by his own side. Instead, EFF leader Julius Malema brought a point of order on Cele’s tactics.

“We really cannot allow a situation where the minister drags [down] a wife of the leader of the opposition when she is not here. We should not be using women to fight our political battles here,” said Malema. “That is woman abuse what [Cele] did to her.”

At the end of the day’s debate, the presiding officer, National Council of Provinces Chairperson Amos Masondo, said Cele had sent a note to say he’d like to withdraw his comment, followed by him actually saying: “I withdraw” in the House.

Cele’s comments marked a low point in Tuesday’s six-hour debate.

The curious bits came from Mineral Resources and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe, who went off his prepared speech, saying: “Honourable Malema, you opted out of the Sona. In a country where a prime minister was assassinated in a House of Parliament, they [the EFF] stormed the stage.” This was a clear reference to the 6 September 1966 murder of apartheid leader HF Verwoerd by parliamentary messenger Dimitri Tsafendas.

Mantashe reacted to an earlier EFF point about how President Cyril Ramaphosa himself had said he was not intimidated by them and thus no need had existed to call in armed security personnel at the 9 February Sona.

An EFF motion of no confidence is loading against National Assembly Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, who on Tuesday stayed out of the Sona debate presiding officer’s chair.

But EFF MP Mbuyiseni Ndlozi was quick off the mark with a point of order in response to Mantashe, who is also the ANC national chairperson.

“I know only of one prime minister

that was assassinated — Verwoerd. I have been very suspicious of you being part of apartheid,” said Ndlozi.

Crossing the Rubicon

Perhaps it was all the talk of crossing the Rubicon, or Ramaphosa being unable to cross the Rubicon, from Steenhuisen that got politicians casting their minds back.

While crossing the Rubicon is a reference to a decision made by Julius Caesar and indicates reaching a point of no return, in South Africa, it has taken on a specific political meaning — the 15 August 1985 speech of then President PW Botha.

In that speech, Botha, dubbed the Groot Krokodil, talked of having crossed the Rubicon when in fact he failed to make the widely antici-

Cyril Ramaphosa could not cross the Rubicon,” said Steenhuisen.

“Instead of leading us across the Rubicon at the Sona of 2023, Mr Ramaphosa told us to turn around.

To stay on this side of the riverbank.

To double down on the same failed ANC approach of state control that created the crisis in the first place.”

It was only the DA that would be able to change things, said Steenhuisen.

“By making the right choice in 2024, voters can bring this same DA difference at a national level.

And let’s be clear about one thing: the DA is the only game in town for anyone who really wants to cross the Rubicon and save South Africa.”

It was too good to ignore for Good party MP Brett Heron, who quipped how the DA itself failed to cross the river, “still standing where PW Botha left them”, in another curious apartheid reference, given that the DA did not exist then.

In Tuesday’s debate, it became apparent that both Steenhuisen and Malema had hit home in the ANC benches — in different ways, and garnering different responses which signal how the governing party is likely to handle its electioneering.

EFF leader Julius Malema said Ramaphosa is a fulltime businessman, “an animal trader, who has said the president’s job is a part-time job.”  Photo by

Malema got the most points of order, parliamentary moves to disrupt a speaker. These were all from the ANC, which at least twice unsuccessfully questioned the EFF’s participation in the debate following their disruption of last Thursday’s Sona.

But it didn’t stop Malema. Not expressly mentioning the 2024 elections — the EFF’s planned “national shutdown” on 20 March was the focus, drawing clenched fists from EFF MPs — he nevertheless rubbished the Ramaphosa presidency.

“What you were listening to was not a real Sona. It is hearsay. Our country is in the midst of [a] man-made crisis… [Ramaphosa] is a full-time businessman, an animal trader, who has said the president job is a part-time job.”

Crucially, Malema rammed home the EFF’s 10th anniversary, and how its public safety and health portfolios would be delivery showcases.

“Instead of leading us across the Rubicon at the Sona of 2023, Mr Ramaphosa told us to turn around,” said DA leader John Steenhuisen. Photo: Twitter/ @Our_DA

It was an important point to make, given the EFF’s lack of service delivery track record, which the DA traditionally makes much of.

As South Africa’s largest opposition, the DA has governed the Western Cape and the City of Cape Town for well over 10 years. It’s part of the DA’s playbook.

And that’s what the ANC on Tuesday moved to put down — from raising questions about the DA-led Tshwane coalition and ex-DA Joburg mayor Mpho Phalatse, to calling the DA racist.

As the minister in the Presidency, Mondli Gungubele, who followed Steenhuisen on the speakers’ list, put it in his off-script remarks: “The point is, Western Cape is a test of [the] resilience of racial exclusion. In 2024, our people are very clear about facts. They know [a] DA future is based on a racially exclusive future.”

ANC Chief Whip Pemmy Majodina opened the Sona debate, saying the governing party would “debunk falsehoods”.

Photo: Twitter/ @ ParliamentofRSA

pated announcement of fundamental reforms and the abolition of apartheid.

On Valentine’s Day 2023, Steenhuisen put Ramaphosa into the same spot. “It’s time to cross the Rubicon and embrace the opposite of socialism, which is power to the people.

So, last Thursday, we looked to you, our President. We asked you to show us the way across the river… President

Where the DA governed, “the Group Areas Act of governing has been effectively restored”, Deputy Higher Education Minister Buti Manamela followed suit as ANC sweeper closing Day One of the Sona debate.

“I hear echoes of PW Botha in 1985 when John, Honourable Steenhuisen here, spoke of crossing the Rubicon. And yes, the DA should cross the Rubicon because the DA is not the home of black or women leaders because they are not compliant. Ask Lindiwe Mazibuko, Mbali Ntuli and Phumzile Van Damme,” said Manamela.

The 2024 general election may be 12 to 18 months away, but the electioneering is in full swing. - dailymaverick.co.za

Starlink dish in a forest.

Photo by Valeriy Georgian / Shutterstock.com

Bheki Cele’s comments marked a low point in Tuesday’s six-hour debate. Photo by Jaco Marais

Phando Jikelo/African News Agency

GOVERNMENT’S ‘BETTER-LATE-THAN-NEVER’ ATTITUDE PROBLEMATIC

By Busa

This Sona was delivered amid severe crises across critical economic and social spheres in our country. These include the energy crisis, the logistics crisis, the law-and-order crisis, the water crisis, and the governance crisis.

We welcome the President’s acknowledgement of these crises facing our country and for outlining measures to address them. The speech outlined some good ideas, as well as bad ones.

It is of concern to business that the President referred to our nation as being defined by hope and resilience. He also said “better late than never” in the context of delays in implementing numerous commitments. Our nation should not have to depend on hope, and, in the crises, we face, we cannot afford to be late in implementation.

The President rightly referred to the devastating impact of Covid-19, on livelihoods, the economy and loss of life. What is different however, is that the crises we face today are primarily because of poor governance and lack of decisive leadership, exacerbated by a weak state that is hesitant to work in a real partnership with business, despite several offers by business to support, and work with, government.

The speech provided no detail of how government plans to work with stakeholders such as business and we expect that the details will be provided in his response to the Sona debate next week.

We recognise the positive changes since the Sona in 2022. These include the launch of spectrum, lifting the ceiling on embedded energy, going to market on a further tranche of renewable energy and the announcement of a comprehensive energy plan by the President.

However, this is where the “better late than never” issue is problematic. All these positive developments should have been announced four years ago and implemented then, something business has consistently been calling for. If the embedded energy ceiling had been lifted four years ago, when business called for it, the energy environment would be looking very different today.

Despite these delays, business responded positively and urgently and 3.6GW of energy will be on the grid in the next two years from investments in embedded energy.

We welcome the concentration in this Sona on the energy crisis, however we are not convinced that declaring a state of disaster will help address the crisis. It must be seen as a low point in the life of our society that mismanagement and lack of governance has created circumstances in which a state of disaster has to be declared.

We believe the appointment of a Minister for Electricity in the office of the President is a bad idea that will add to the confusion and turf wars rather than solve the problem. It is yet another example of failure to take bold decisions and opting instead for the soft but expen -

sive option of adding another ministry rather than holding those ministers responsible for the crisis accountable.

Business is concerned about the potential of a repeat of corruption we saw under the Covid19 state of disaster, although we welcome the announcement that the tor-General will oversee use of resources. We welcome the announcement on rooftop solar panels and that provision will be made in the budget speech to incentivise this.

We also welcome the President referring to economic opportunities in an effective just transition pathway. One of the positive ideas from the President is the indication that he will establish a structure for social partners to engage on the energy crisis.

Our view is that unemployment can only be addressed sustainably through attracting investment and putting our country onto a sustainable and inclusive growth path. This requires fundamental reforms in the economy and business has done a lot of work on this, which we are still keen on working with government on.

We urge government to demonstrate its commitment to working with other stakeholders in society such business. Implementation through bilateral initiatives will help develop a workable social compact that is anchored on practical implementation rather than mere words on paper.

We welcome the awarding of road construction contracts by Sanral but urge that this process stays the course and there is certainty in contracting over the full period of the projects. The allocation of R600 million to Infrastructure SA for project preparation is welcome, however, we urge that focus should be on four or 5 major infrastructure projects that will contribute to economic growth to market rather than many small projects.

We also welcome progress on bringing corruptors to trial and the return of over R7 billion to the state. There is a concern that so far, the ringleader involved in corruption have not been brought to book.

We are encouraged that the most vulnerable sectors of society will receive protection through the social wage in the budget and welcome the retention of the Social Relief of Distress Grant.

In conclusion, the Sona in our opinion, does not instil confidence that the structure of government is operating efficiently, and lack of performance and delivery will be held to account.

We will follow progress on the announcements made, but emphasise that the critical focus must be on an enabling environment for investment and growth creation. Everything must be measured against that. We also await the restructuring of government to see if the President appoints a capable and lean cabinet that is fully aligned behind his vision and ministers are held accountable if they are not aligned.

Finally, the priority areas remain energy, law and order, logistics and water. Business continues to urge government to work with us to implement quick solutions to these crises.

Police officers impose a perimeter around a crime scene. Photo by AFP

President Cyril Ramaphosa said “it’s better late than never” in the context of delays in implementing numerous commitments.

WILL THERE BE A GENUINE RECOVERY PLAN?

President Cyril Ramaphosa delivered a State of the Nation Address which, for lack of a better word, was a damp squib. As is always custom, he was delayed in reading the uninspiring speech due to the customary disruptions and descent into complete chaos.

Dutifully, National Assembly Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula called in heavily armed officers as chaos proceeded the stage where Ramaphosa was waiting to speak.

The chaos is a subtle way of showing how deeply chaotic South Africa is. We are burdened with “elected” leaders who prefer to horse around in the face of a multi- layered national crisis.

After ‘order’ was forcefully restored, Ramaphosa focussed on what was basically about South Africa’s crippling electricity crisis primarily. The country’s problems are not only confined to massive rolling blackouts.

We Need A Crisis Recovery Plan Not Business As Usual

Maybe, just maybe, before delivering SONA, the president should ha read the honest assessment of the state of our nation penned for the dailymaverick.co.za by Songezo Zibi, the Chairman of the Rivonia Circle and author of Manifesto – A New Vision for South Africa.

Zibi wrote: “But Thursday’s State of the Nation Address should not be an ordinary one.

While rolling blackouts are the most pressing national issue, the truth is that our crisis now runs far deeper than rolling blackouts. We are going backwards, erasing the progress we have made since 1994.

“At just over 33%, our unemployment rate is the same as it was 20 years ago. When we include the millions who have given up looking for work, our unemployment rate is a staggering 44%! Youth unemployment is even higher at 60%.

“Nearly half of all children who start school never reach matric. These children become adults who cannot find jobs to build a better life for themselves and their loved ones. As a result of the joblessness, poverty and inequality have worsened, while food insecurity and hunger have returned as people struggle to put food on the table.

“The country has been suffering rolling blackouts to varying degrees for most of the past 16 years. Last year South Africa, and Eskom in particular was producing less electricity than it did in 2008. Keep in mind that Eskom owes lenders close to R400-billion and spends more on servicing that debt (R32-billion) than it does on maintenance (R19-billion in 2021). No economy

can function, let alone grow, without electricity.

“Although the government has indicated it will take over some of Eskom’s debt, the government’s own debt servicing costs this year will amount to R332-billion, or just over R6.4-billion per week. Debt service payments are now the biggest single expenditure item in our national budget.

“Ordinarily, debt is not a problem if the economy and state revenues are growing, but ours aren’t. In January, the Monetary Policy Committee of the South African Reserve Bank estimated economic growth this year to be just 0.7%, partly due to rolling blackouts and logistical challenges, a euphemism for Transnet’s problems.

“Therefore, to begin to solve this crisis, we must get to the nub of the issue — money. With the ruling class having destroyed the economy and stolen billions of rand over the last 15 years, what they are not saying is that there is simply not enough money to make the investments we so desperately need.

Let me make just two examples:

“Eskom needs over R600-billion to reduce its debt, conduct maintenance properly and invest in grid and other capacity to connect us to new sources of electricity. Eskom doesn’t have that kind of money as it is looking at a R21-billion loss when it publishes its financials in March.

“Transnet needs R110-billion over the next five years just for its rail infrastructure. Right now, Transnet

only has R30-billion, with a request for an additional R40-billion from government having been rejected, because there is no money.

“Both companies have a profound impact on the economy. Were South Africa a business, it would be close to shutting down.”

We need a crisis recovery plan, not business as usual.

“President Ramaphosa’s address will be meaningless if he doesn’t specify what our financial priorities and arrangements are going to be, so we know if his plans can be implemented. Not only does he need to say how much we are going to invest in solving rolling blackouts, he also needs to say how much is needed in total, and where it is going to be found.

“Since we have no more room to increase the personal income tax rates of ordinary people, South Africa’s main source of government revenue, he must say which of his party’s fantasy projects are going to be suspended or canned so we can focus on our biggest problem right now.

“Second, we need a municipal recovery plan because dysfunctional municipalities are beginning to cause systemic ripple effects. The dysfunction and corruption in municipalities are depriving Eskom of R55-billion in unpaid electricity when it needs that money to conduct maintenance to end rolling blackouts and invest in new infrastructure.

“It only makes sense that all the municipalities that cannot manage their affairs must be put under

administration, otherwise, before long they will cause a R100-billion hole in Eskom’s income statement within a few years.

“Third, we must unlock private investment in energy and logistics — the backbone of the South African economy for which we have no more money. By this, I mean extending the investment from generation to transmission because Eskom doesn’t have the R144-billion it needs to build new transmission infrastructure.

“Unlike what the ANC thinks, the role of the state is not limited to borrowing and spending money, but also regulating private sector conduct to prevent price gouging and exploitation. That power should enable private investment in national infrastructure.

“In a country swimming in ideological taboos, many people get upset by the idea of private investment in national infrastructure; but it is unsustainable that we sit with hundreds of billions of rand in private sector capital, generated from investments by worker pension funds – but we insist on borrowing money we cannot afford to repay. This has been the ANC’s formula for digging this country deeper and deeper into debt while the rest of us suffer.

“Ironically, we can turn this crisis into opportunity, but that needs a new orientation that will give us a new language for prosperity, not deprivation or mere survival.

“For example, we have an $8.5-billion commitment from Western countries to assist us in the work we need to do to generate cleaner

energy for the future. That is over R140-billion in grants and concessional loans that are far cheaper than the open market borrowing we currently do.

“We should use that money to build solar factories where solar panels and systems are installed in millions of South African homes, by hundreds of small and medium-sized black- and women-owned businesses. This will open whole new sectors of work, advance economic transformation, and save the environment.

“We are in a crisis. A crisis demands vision, fortitude, and capability. South Africa has allthree — just not where it matters, and that is in a declining ANC that no longer knows how to govern.

“So, as our parliament descends into chaos on Thursday night, setting off a week of inconsequential political posturing, think of all these things we could do if we had politicians who took their duty to the South African people seriously and had the capability to develop the solutions we need in this moment.

“This is not the time for grandstanding. It is a time to unite South Africans behind a clear set of objectives and plans to get us out of this crisis before it is too late. And since not much will change despite all the speeches and comments on Thursday and the days after, we must set our eyes on 2024 to finally give South Africa the chance to rise from the ashes.

“We can do this by ensuring that we have a new, stable, and visionary government to take us out of this mess.”- DM

Students protests against the high unemployment rate amongst the youth in South Africa.

Eskom needs over R600-billion to be able to conduct maintenance and cover its debt. Despite having a profound impact on the country, Transnet plummets deeper and deeper in astronomical debt.

PRESIDENT CYRIL RAMAPHOSA HAS FAILED THE NATION IN THE DELIVERY OF BASIC HUMAN RIGHTS

The South African government must give full attention to delivering fundamental human rights to the citizens of the country and put this above grandstanding. A day before President Cyril Ramaphosa delivered his State of the Nation Address, Amnesty International South Africa suggested critical issues affecting the country. As is now known, the president fell short.

Amnesty International had called on Ramaphosa to address Gender-based violence and femicide, water, healthcare, and education. Instead, he focussed more on load shedding.

By Mienke Steytler

President Cyril Ramaphosa continues to fail the nation in the delivery of basic human rights, said Amnesty International South Africa last Wednesday (8 February).

“The government’s mandate is to deliver services to every person living in South Africa and to promote, protect and fulfil basic human rights. President Ramaphosa is not fulfilling his duty as the leader of our country to uphold the fundamental human rights of every person living here. The buck stops with him, and the State of the Nation Address (SONA) cannot be another tick box exercise, concrete action is vital,” said Shenilla Mohamed, Executive Director of Amnesty International South Africa.

“Access to basic human rights remains a challenge for people in South Africa. Now, multiple failures by the government, including load shedding, are exacerbating the suffering. Further delays cannot be tolerated, and President Ramaphosa must use SONA to outline how his administration plans to urgently deliver on the rights enshrined in our Constitution. The country is asking questions and will be listening for answers. We will no longer tolerate lip service.”

Gender-based violence and femicide

The latest quarterly crime statistics released by the South African Police Service showed an increase in all categories of sexual offences compared to the same period last year – this tells us not enough is being done to tackle the scourge of GBVF.

“Year after year, people take to the streets to demand justice, and year after year President Ramaphosa promises to tackle it but South Africa is still not a safe place for anyone, particularly women and children. What happened to the additional resources, budget and

personnel President Ramaphosa committed to deploying in 2019?” asked Mohamed.

“Furthermore, the DNA backlog is one of the biggest contributing factors on why the prosecution of thousands of cases has been delayed. This delays justice for victims and survivors. Police minister Bheki Cele publicly committed to clearing the backlog by the end of January 2023. That date has now passed, and the silence is deafening.

“We don’t want announcements of additional plans of action. We have enough of those. What we need now is a clear indication of how these plans will be implemented and accountability across the board from President Ramaphosa’s chosen cabinet.”

This SONA, President Ramaphosa must address the high levels of GBVF and do so once and for all. Enough of the empty promises. Concrete action is required, immediately. How many more women and girls need to suffer from GBVF before the government shows us it takes women and girls’ right to safety seriously,” said Mohamed.

Water

Escalating load shedding is placing increased pressure on an ageing

and under-maintained water system, threatening the right of millions of people in South Africa to access safe, sufficient, and reliable water. In areas like Phoenix in KwaZulu-Natal and parts of Tshwane, it’s been reported that people have to go for days without water, partly because of load shedding.

“The lack of urgency is concerning. Even before load shedding worsened, millions of people in South Africa did not have access to safe, sufficient, and reliable water. As infrastructure is further damaged and strained by the ongoing energy crisis, we could see access to water further decline,” said Mohamed.

Healthcare

The energy crisis is adding increased pressure on an already stretched healthcare system, negatively impacting access to quality care and putting the lives of patients at risk.

“This is a life and death issue. Even this week, healthcare facilities reported being without power and water. Though some hospitals have been spared from load shedding, Amnesty International South Africa calls on President Ramaphosa to use SONA to exempt all healthcare facilities that rely on Eskom from load shedding. This will protect patients

and healthcare workers, though the deeper systemic challenges of South Africa’s healthcare system remain, and can also not be ignored,” said Mohamed.

Education

In 2020 and 2021, Amnesty International South Africa released two reports on the state of basic education in South Africa. The reports titled South Africa: Failing to learn the lessons? The impact of Covid-19 on a broken and unequal education system and Broken and Unequal: The state of education in South Africa both highlighted stark inequalities in the education system.

President Ramaphosa must use SONA to update the nation on progress from the Accelerated Schools and Infrastructure Delivery Initiative and the Sanitation Appropriate for Education Project, intended to eradicate inadequate, unsafe, and poor infrastructure at schools. This includes outlining whether the Department of Basic Education’s (DBE) commitment to eradicate pit toilets from all schools by the end of February 2023 will be realised.

“The DBE has been repeatedly moving the deadline when it comes to eradicating pit toilets and ensuring all schools have proper and safe

sanitation facilities, and in doing so continues to fail learners. Even more disturbing, the department is trying to move further away from accountability by proposing new amendments to the regulation relating to the minimum norms and standards for public school infrastructure. The proposed amendments put forward last year seek to remove deadlines that have been set to fix school infrastructure,” Mohamed said.

“These illegal pit toilets are not only violating the right to sanitation, which is enshrined in the Constitution, but also the right to health, education, dignity, privacy whilst in some cases posing a serious risk to the right to life.”

Increased load shedding is also making the situation worse with learners studying in the dark, falling behind, and arriving late to school due to traffic delays caused by power cuts. Some schools have been forced to close because the lack of water has led to hygiene and health risks.

“Load shedding risks widening the gap of access to quality basic education, placing further pressure on an already broken and unequal system. President Ramaphosa’s SONA must tackle this head-on. This is about the future of South Africa’s youth and, arguably, of South Africa itself.”

Protesters gather in support of no Gender-based violence and femicide.

Overcrowded government hospitals needs a radical shake-up.

Many South Africans took to the street making their demands heard for equal education standards.