‘Go look after your Ankole at Phala Phala’: MPs slate Ramaphosa’s ‘recycled’ Sona promises

Opposition parties have fiercely criticised President Cyril Ramaphosa’s State of the Nation Address (Sona), describing it as lacking substance and failing to address key issues facing the country.

The debate on Ramaphosa’s speech continued into its second and final day at the Nieuwmeester Dome in Cape Town on Wednesday.

Ramaphosa will get a chance to respond to the debate on Thursday.

Second day of Sona debate

On Wednesday, MK party MP Nhlamulo Ndhlela dismissed Ramaphosa’s speech as the “state of the nothingness address”.

“ [It was] an address that regrettably felt less like a reflection of our nation’s state, and more like a maiden speech of someone who’s just been newly appointed to a job, laden with recycled promises, hollow rhetoric, and dressed in the usual fanfare that has become the hallmark of these kind of annual events,” he said.

Ndhlela emphasised that Sona should not be a “ceremonial spectacle or a stage for lofty promises” but rather a moment of accountability.

“Instead, we witnessed yet another episode of political theatrics, a fashion show camouflaged with empty hot air rhetoric.”

ALSO READ: Sona showdown: 6 things MPs said about Ramaphosa … and Zuma

He further criticised the president for repeating previous commitments.

“Mr Ramaphosa’s speech was filled with promises eerily similar to those made in 2024, 2023 and even earlier. Let us not be fooled by his eloquence.

“South Africans deserve more, Mr. President, than promises. They deserve results. We have listened to these commitments before, and yet the realities on the ground tell a different story. A story of betrayal, neglect and failure.”

‘Failed state’

Ndhlela also addressed the recent deaths of 14 South African National Defence Force (SANDF) soldiers in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), accusing the government of prioritising economic interests over human lives.

“These young men and women did not die to defend our sovereignty but to protect the government’s economic interests in foreign lands.

“The least you could have done was to equip them better, yet you let your incompetent, less caring finance minister keep defunding the military budget. Their blood is in the hands of the government that prioritises profits over people.”

READ MORE: ‘Enemy of SA people’: MK party opens treason case against AfriForum

He went on to criticise the new Expropriation Act, which has drawn backlash from some political parties and the US government.

“Land reform has been short of nothing of a disaster under this administration. The Expropriation Act recently signed into law is nothing but a rebranded apartheid relic.

“A repackaging of the Expropriation Act of 1975. It does nothing to address historical land issues. It is the same apartheid wine in a different bottle.”

The MK party, Ndhlela added, would not support “half-baked legislation”.

“Mr. President, sir, you lead a failed state,” he concluded.

Watch the Sona debate below:

ANC defends Sona and Expropriation Act

However, ANC MP Cameron Dugmore defended Ramaphosa’s leadership, applauding the president for signing the Expropriation Act and the Basic Education Laws Amendment (BELA) Act.

He also criticised opposition figures such as DA federal chairperson Helen Zille and AfriForum.

“Yes, there will be differences, [but] we do not need megaphone diplomacy. We need dialogue, finding practical solutions, trust, and respect,” the ANC MP said.

READ MORE: ‘Hold president to account’: Ramaphosa’s Sona emphasises unity but lacks policy detail

Dugmore also accused some opposition parties of being jealous of the government of national unity (GNU).

“Did the MK party really think that our leadership could govern with them when they demanded that we must first remove you, our president?” he asked.

He further claimed the MK party was imploding due to internal conflicts among its “unelected” leaders and took a jab at the EFF.

“Its leader is central to internal conflict within the EFF.”

EFF slams Ramaphosa’s Sona

EFF MP Omphile Maotwe was among those who rejected the president’s address.

“Year in, year out, Mr. Ramaphosa comes here and makes promises without accounting for the promises he made the previous year.

“It is as if he is permanently on a reset button, and the sad thing is that every time he opens his mouth, more people become statistics of unemployment, poverty, rape, and murder.

“Mr. Ramaphosa, why don’t you rather keep quiet and go look after your Ankole at Phala Phala farm because you are the elephant in the room?”

South African Local Government Association (Salga) President Bheke Charles Stofile called on Ramaphosa to reassess the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) and prioritise rural roads and local economies.

“Economic development cannot prosper if the economy in townships is not focused on, and therefore, small business enterprises in our communities need to be lifted.”

Call for focus on local economy

Meanwhile, Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi defended the National Health Insurance (NHI) Act, dismissing critics who he claimed misunderstood the legislation.

“They start by distorting the definition of the NHI,” he said.

Motsoaledi emphasised that the NHI aims to ensure quality healthcare for all.

“The NHI is about money. It is about how money is distributed to the whole population.”

READ MORE: Private hospitals also taking NHI fight to court as Motsoaledi talks ‘war’

Additionally, ActionSA MP Kgosi Letlape argued that despite South Africa’s democracy, inequality persists.

“If you’re black like me, you’re a second-rate citizen in South Africa. Until that changes, Mr. President, we’re going nowhere.”

He also highlighted gender-based violence (GBV) as a major issue.

“GBV is a sport in this country driven by culture and traditions. Unless we change them, more of us will lose our children.”