South African president to deliver State of the Nation address
The South African parliament will convene today for President Cyril Ramaphosa’s State of the Nation Address.
Ramaphosa’s political party, the African National Congress (ANC), has been criticised for its failure to properly address deteriorating financial conditions in the country. Opposition leaders are displeased with Ramaphosa’s administration for overemphasising its response to the COVID-19 pandemic at the expense of economic instability. Observers have also questioned the ANC’s plan of action to combat COVID-19. Democratic Alliance party leader John Steenhuisen explicitly stated that the government’s vaccination program is not distributed equally and called on the ANC government to resign for its political mismanagement.
Despite heavy political pressure on Ramaphosa to reconsider his domestic policies, he is not expected to undertake a new course of action to solve the country’s economic and COVID-related problems. Instead, Ramaphosa will build upon controversial, costly policies such as the social relief of distress grant. Under these circumstances, South Africa’s economic outlook is not anticipated to improve in the short- to medium- term, which will likely strengthen his political opponents. The Democratic Alliance in turn aims to improve on the development projects of its provinces with the hope of acquiring more seats in the upcoming elections.
Wake up smarter with an assessment of the stories that will make headlines in the next 24 hours. Download The Daily Brief.
