Ramaphosa’s address broke new ground, according to the panelists
This year Mail & Guardians The Critical Thinking Forum of the State of the Nation Address (Sona) is conducted in association with the Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung. Moderated by Mail & Guardians Deputy Editor Athandiwe Saba, the panel included: Dr Roland Ngam, Program Manager for Climate Change and Socioecological Transformation at the Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung; Lizeka Tandwa, Mail & Guardians Senior Political Editor; Tessa Dooms, Development Practitioner and Director of Rivonia Circle; and Richard Calland, Associate Professor of Public Law at the University of Cape Town. The panelists addressed several key themes, most notably the ongoing electricity crisis. Other topics covered include what was missing from President Cyril Ramaphosa’s speech and the current state of the presidency.
Ramaphosa carried the opening remarks from the 2023 State of the Nation Address into a package of 2022 highlights – including Banyana Banyana’s Africa Cup of Nations victory and post-Covid-19 economic growth. Then he moved on to more pressing issues. “We are concentrating on the most important problems for South Africa,” Ramaphosa began, “load-shedding; unemployment; poverty and the rising cost of living; and crime and corruption.” Crime, employment and education have recently become constants that can be argued in the annual speech of the president of South Africa. Many are more focused on what the president said about reducing the burden, where he declared a state of national disaster. He then announced plans to introduce an electricity minister in the office of the presidency.
The connection between reliable energy supply and economic growth is inextricable in the modern economy. This led to the president also announcing plans to invest R1.5 billion into the economy through the Sufficient Energy Transition Plan. With increased funding and plans to invest in the green energy sector, the panelists emphasized that there are other areas that also demand attention. Dooms questioned the buoyant attitude of the president in more than seven million South Africans receive funds: “R350 needs a plan beyond those who pay monthly. Will it be used in the supermarket or have a greater purpose?
Dr Ngam questioned the lack of focus on the suffering sectors of the economy. “A lot of oxygen is being taken about Eskom, especially by the middle class, but our rural market is suffering. A million jobs in the tourism sector have been lost,” he said. Despite the dour tone of the energy environment, program manager Rosa Luxemburg said that Rampahosa tried to pierce through it with his own tone of resilience. Tandwa mastered the feeling, that he tried to imbue the words with hope and strength.
Before the announcement, groups in South Africa called for a declaration of a national state of disaster to deal with the burden, including the DA. Dooms support the idea of a catastrophic situation. “We have to take aggressive measures,” he explained, “but I don’t think the country trusts the government in a disaster situation. Whether it’s constitutional or not, people don’t trust that the government will do the right thing in the right way.
Dooms was appointed to the National Planning Commission in 2015, and questioned the effectiveness of installing new ministers in the office of the presidency. “The president gathers great power in an office that does not have great responsibility. The electricity minister who sits in the presidency is a question of leadership and responsibility. The more he puts in the office, the less strategic responsibility he has,” he said.
Some in the legal field have questioned the legality of the declaration. Saba asked the panel: “Disaster situations are things we cannot control – we have control over Eskom. Is this legal?” Calland replied: “There is no provision in the disaster management act that says you can call a state of disaster because your cabinet is incompetent or because your government is incompetent. I don’t believe it will be investigated by law. If it is challenged, and I hope it is, then I think it will fall.
Calland had particular criticism for the Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy, Gwede Mantashe. Ministers have hesitated to green light the production of renewable energy for the national grid. “Mantashe is an obstacle for renewable energy. Remember that 10% more renewable energy in the national grid will not relieve the burden. He is not suitable for an office that and [with the introduction of a minister of electricity] Ramaphosa has cut off the electricity from management,” Calland said.
There was hope for the power minister among the panellists. Tandwa expressed his assessment that Rampahosa’s move to introduce a new minister was political, but said that the identity of the appointment was still a mystery. A senior political editor said that the president appeared more assertive and took a lot of responsibility with the announcement of new ministers, although the fact of who will be the minister has not been revealed. “Rampahosa is the most trusted person in the ANC,” Tandwa said. “Polls show that without him the ANC will win 30% of the vote in the next election and 48% with him.” This moved the panelists to a discussion about Rampahosa’s presidency and whether the longevity in the marriage position is related to the longevity of the plan.
Dooms said that rather than a desire to effect change, there are forces within the ANC that are keeping the president on task. “He says he doesn’t need a job. It’s clear Ramaphosa is the political prisoner the ANC needs in the presidency,” Dooms said. “He will stay until 2024 and there are many parties who want to stay there,” added Tandwa. Dr. Ngam felt as if a section of the Nation would support or endorse a section of the party – the same party he was recently ousted as president. “He talked to the ANC and then he talked to the country,” Ngam said. Calland said: “Ramaphosa is not strong enough to navigate different interests. He is a good unionist because he has one interest, but as president he has many interest groups and he cannot make everyone happy.
A major theme among the panelists was the belief that there is new ground being broken by Ramaphosa. It is noted that there is a large focus on electricity and less focus on Eskom. Dr. Ngam noted that the plan to privatize energy production in South Africa is slowly coming to fruition and that Sona is in fact a goal: “[President Ramaphosa] have talked about a ‘strong power generation market’, so it is clear where they are going.” Dooms highlighted the need for Eskom not to be allowed to fail as a state-owned company. “We cannot allow Eskom to fail – 90% of the country needs a public power supply. We cannot just open the door to privatization and let Eskom forget about it,” he emphasized.
The president has made plans for this year and next year, and he will be judged by the results – sooner or later.