DA is the only ‘credible, better’ alternative for South Africans, says Steenhuisen

Democratic Alliance (DA) leader John Steenhuisen says his party is the only “credible and better” alternative for South Africans ahead of the 2024 general elections.

‘True state of the nation’

Steenhuisen on Tuesday said life for many citizens under President Cyril Ramaphosa’s administration has “progressively become harder and harder” over the past five years.

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The DA leader said when Ramaphosa took over from his predecessor, Jacob Zuma, in 2018 – he rode on a wave of goodwill and euphoria, but today there is very little left of that goodwill and even less confidence that things will improve in the country.

“Increases in the cost of living have far outstripped earnings for almost every South African, and most certainly for those trying to survive on social grants, which is now almost 50% of our population. That’s the 18.4 million South Africans who receive a social grant, plus the 10.5 million recipients of the Covid social relief of distress grant.

“For these people, the sharp rise in the price of a basic basket of goods along with multiple above-inflation fuel price increases and electricity tariff hikes, has made life unbearably hard,” he said.

Steenhuisen made the remarks on Tuesday in Cape Town, during the DA’s alternative true state of the nation address, which the party referred to as the ‘true state of the nation’.

The speech was ahead of Ramaphosa’s fifth State of the Nation Address (Sona) to the joint sitting of Parliament on Thursday.

SA ‘fast approaching breaking point’

Steenhuisen said the country’s trajectory on crime, unemployment, poverty, infrastructure maintenance and investment, on capital and skills flight as well as load shedding was on a downward spiral.

“And that situation is only going to get worse this year, as indefinite high-stage load shedding wreaks havoc on our economy, shuts down businesses, and sends even more people from the workplace to the social grants queue.

“You don’t have to be an economist to know that this is an unsustainable situation, and we are fast approaching its breaking point,” he said.

SA’s economy

Steenhuisen said in order to tackle the country’s challenges, the economy needs to expand beyond the dismal 0.3% forecast last week by the South African Reserve Bank.

He said government needs to find a way to stop skills and businesses from leaving our shores and to bring in new investments. And help a lot more South Africans move into the dignity of a job.

“We have no time to waste. But a glance at our performance on every critical metric over the past five years says that we are doing none of these things, and that we are in fact regressing.”

‘Electioneering purposes’

DA chief whip Siviwe Gwarube said the party’s ‘true state of the nation’ address was not for electioneering purposes ahead of the general elections next year.

She said the speech was meant to set an alternative vision for the country.

“It demonstrates the beauty of the plurality of voices in our hard-earned constitutional democracy, to be constructive in our work and to endeavour to change the lives of millions of South Africans who have been left behind,” said Gwarube.

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