South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa used most of his speech in parliament on Thursday to discuss his party’s achievements over the last 30 years.
However, little detail was given about his plans to address the country’s current major challenges.
Despite problems such as high unemployment, an electricity crisis, and corruption allegations, he insisted that his ruling ANC party is making progress in addressing South Africa’s issues.
Ramaphosa’s nearly two-hour State of the Nation speech was largely a defence of his first term in office ahead of elections later this year.
“Over the last three decades, we have transformed the lives of millions of South Africans, providing the necessities of life and creating opportunities that never existed before,” Ramaphosa said.
The ANC, which has won every election since 1994, is seeing popular support decline among many South Africans. This has allowed the proliferation of new political parties, such as Operation Dudula.
Former President Jacob Zuma of the ANC had denounced the ANC leadership in December and said he would vote for the newly formed party Umkhonto Wesizwe, but later said he would hold on to his ANC membership.
Zuma was forced to step down by the ANC following allegations of widespread corruption. Ramaphosa took over as president, promising to cover up.
The split in the ANC could negatively affect the party’s standing ahead of the 2024 elections, as Zuma enjoys popular support in his home province of KwaZulu-Natal and has considerable backing in Gauteng.
South Africa’s election date is yet to be specified, but Cyril Ramaphosa is expected to announce it by the end of this month.
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