President Cyril Ramaphosa says despite challenges, the lives of millions of South Africans have been transformed since the dawn of democracy in 1994.
The President was delivering his reply to the State of the Nation Address (SONA) debate held at the Cape Town City Hall.
“The debate in this House over the last two days has shown that there are sharp differences among political parties about our past. There are also sharp differences about our present and indeed about our future as well.
“Yet amongst all the contributions made in the debate, no speaker has been able to refute a fundamental reality that the lives of millions of South Africans have been transformed over the 30 years of freedom. This is the reality… whether we like it, or we don’t like it, that is the reality we confront,” he said on Thursday.
The President said the transformation of South African lives can be found in the recent national census conducted by Statistics South Africa, which shows “extraordinary improvements on a range of social and economic indicators over the past three decades”.
“This transformation is most evident in the lived experience of our people, who have witnessed the changes in their own communities and who have also witnessed the changes in their own personal lives,” he said.
Facing challenges
President Ramaphosa acknowledged that although progress has been made, there are critical issues that need to be addressed with urgency.
“We need to celebrate the fact that young people… have had the opportunities that were never available before. But we also need to recognise, as we did in the [SONA] that young people… still have many challenges.
“Despite everything we have achieved, many South Africans, young and old, are concerned about the state of affairs in our nation, and rightly so. Many people cannot find jobs. Even people with jobs wonder if they will be able to provide for their families as the cost of living increases,” he said.
The President further acknowledged other challenges, including crime, load shedding, corruption and municipalities that are struggling to deliver services. He said the sixth administration is hard at work to resolve these issues.
He listed gains that government has made in sectors, including in the economy, tourism and the agricultural sectors as measures of progress
“Over the last five years, we have made significant progress in restoring our economy to grow and create jobs. When COVID hit, our economy tanked and just to demonstrate the resilience of our economy, it bounced back and now it is above the pre-COVID period.
“We have seen the results of these efforts in the growth of our agricultural exports. In 2022, South Africa’s agricultural exports reached a record $12.8 billion or R247 billion and we are the top food secure country on our continent.
“We have seen a massive increase in international tourists coming to our country. Between January and December last year, our country recorded 8.5 million international tourist arrivals, which was a 29% increase on the previous year,” he said.
He assured the country that government will remain steadfast in its quest to “build a better life for all of democracy’s children”.
“As a nation, we continue to write the story of Tintswalo. Through our collective actions, through our sheer determination, we will ensure that all the Tintswalos of this country, together with their parents and grandparents, overcome the many challenges of the present.
READ | Tintswalo, a child of democracy
“It is by working together that we will continue to write the story of our free nation and of a future of peace, comfort and prosperity for all,” he said. – SAnews.gov.za
