President Cyril Ramaphosa officiates swearing-in of new deputy president, ministers and deputy ministers as members of national executive at a ceremony held at Cape Town International Convention Centre, in Cape Town. Picture: GCIS
President Cyril Ramaphosa is expected to deliver the first opening of parliament speech today that is not wholly influenced by the ANC.
The presidential address marks the opening of the parliament for the seventh administration.
South Africa has had five presidents, of which four – Nelson Mandela, Thabo Mbeki, Jacob Zuma and Cyril Ramaphosa – were democratically elected.
Kgalema Motlanthe filled the gap as an unelected caretaker president after Mbeki was recalled by the ANC in 2008.
After the ANC lost its parliamentary majority following the May elections, South Africa is being governed by a coalition of 10 parties which form the government of national unity (GNU).
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The GNU gathered last weekend for a Cabinet lekgotla to chart the way forward for the new coalition government.
Experts agree that the lekgotla outcomes will form the basis of Ramaphosa’s address today.
He is expected to announce a programme of action for the GNU with contributions from all parties but more importantly, he is likely to talk to the promises made by political parties to SA’s voters.
Political analyst Prof Ntsikelelo Breakfast said it was clear that it’s no longer business as usual in the way the government operated. There is now a new layer to consider.
He said the speech would likely articulate the government’s programme for the next five years.
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“We might have new policy announcements based on the outcomes of the two-day lekgotla held by the Cabinet. These may include a combination of the various manifestos of political parties in the GNU,” Breakfast said.
He expected new announcements on energy including the unbundling of the energy supply by Eskom.
Breakfast said economic growth and investments were impossible without a reliable power supply and this matter ought to be addressed in Ramaphosa’s address.
Load shedding has badly affected all sectors of the economy, especially the small and medium enterprise sector.
Many small businesses have been forced to close down due to the lack of a regular power supply and more importantly, an inability to deliver their services to government on time.
“The president will have to make an announcement on the details of the social contract with the citizens.
“The government has to honour that contract,” said Breakfast.
He said at the heart of Ramaphosa’s address would be economic growth as the country’s economy has been underperforming for a while.
Breakfast said Ramaphosa must announce strategies on how to grow the economy, fight poverty, unemployment and inequality.
Another issue is how the South African Revenue Service should improve its performance on revenue collections.
The tax body had been a target of corruption between 2009 and 2017 as part of state capture.
Meanwhile, it is understood that the ANC wants a non-aligned foreign policy to remain.
The DA feels strongly about cutting government spending and halting the purchases of new vehicles and homes for state officials.
The DA has also suggested that unions, teachers and parents should prioritise uninterrupted school attendance and learning by pupils.
Ramaphosa is expected to announce a new approach that combines the various policies of parties as a principle to govern under the GNU.
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Previously, only ANC policies were considered for inclusion as government policy.
However, some of the former opposition parties in the GNU said that the new approach would not be much different from that of the ANC.
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