President Cyril Ramaphosa's State of The Nation Address was met with skepticism from opposition MPs.The EFF said the address did not put state investment at the centre of SA's hopes to create jobs and revive the economy.
The SONA sought to chart an economic recovery for South Africa following the impact of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic and national lockdown. "This is a strange SONA to debate because large parts of the president's speech is straight from the DA's playbook. Let's be clear. That is a good thing. It's a good thing. Because what we need if we want to fight poverty is an agreement on where and how jobs are created, and for the very first time, someone on that side of the House seems to get it," said Steenhuisen.
He said appointments including Sipho Nkosi, Mavuso Msimang, and Daniel Mminele betrayed Ramaphosa's intention to create a parallel state within the ANC because the president did not trust his own Cabinet. Sasol chair Sipho Nkosi to head Ramaphosa's new team tasked with cutting red tape for businessEFF leader Julius Malema said black business leaders that supported Ramaphosa at the beginning of his Presidency regretted supporting him as he had failed to advance their interests.