South Africa enters 2026 burdened by deepening crises — collapsing infrastructure, rising hunger, chronic unemployment and a political class insulated from the realities of ordinary citizens.
Yet President Cyril Ramaphosa’s eighth State of the Nation address (Sona) unfolded with familiar ceremony: the trademark smile, the polished delivery and the carefully curated optimism.
For millions of weary citizens, anxious about the country’s direction as it approaches 32 years of democracy, Sona has become a ritual of promises rather than a moment of reckoning.
Parliament sits in temporary chambers after years of fire damage, division and bruising debates. The original home of democracy is expected to reopen in time for Ramaphosa’s swansong before he retreats into the sunset — and into the long shadow of Phala Phala, a symbol of controversy and political fracture.
The president’s opening cadence signalled a shift from ceremonial ritual to sober stocktaking, echoing his earlier promise of candour, honesty and humility. This was not a night for flourish or political theatre; it was a moment to confront the country’s anxieties with clarity and purpose.
Yet beneath the gravity, there was a flicker of hope. The president’s presence carried the promise that progress could be consolidated, that reforms in energy, home affairs and economic recovery might form the scaffolding for a more stable future. But the room and the nation waited for something more. They wanted proof of momentum, evidence of execution and a plan that could withstand the country’s toughest realities.
Ramaphosa, the former trade-unionist-turned-billionaire, has served two terms since 2018. His latest Sona arrived amid speculation that his heir apparent could be industrialist and football magnate Patrice Motsepe. But the real question lingered: Was Sona 2026 a moment of genuine strategic direction or another choreographed performance?
Why Sona matters
Despite its drift into spectacle, Sona remains a crucial declaration of intent. It signals to 64 million citizens, investors and institutions what the government aims to prioritise. But Sona is only the overture; the budget — to be delivered by Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana on 25 February — determines whether the intentions can be funded.
Before the address, Ramaphosa visited Khayelitsha for a youth roundtable with the National Youth Development Agency — a symbolic nod to the country’s most urgent crisis: youth unemployment. Nearly half of South Africans aged 15 to 34 remain jobless, with millions more locked out of education and training.
The crises outside
While the president spoke of progress, many South Africans waited for him to acknowledge the line that defines their daily struggle — citizens continue to face dry taps, contaminated water and collapsing infrastructure.
Farmers are sounding the alarm over the spread of foot-and-mouth disease, threatening the nation’s milk supply. Johannesburg, the City of Gold, is buckling under a water emergency that residents describe as a human rights and economic catastrophe. Load-shedding continues. Democracy, they say, dies in darkness — and South Africa has been drifting in and out of the darkness for years.
Sona as spectacle
What should be a solemn moment of constitutional accountability has morphed into a red-carpet parade.
Ministers and MPs glided into Parliament in designer outfits, posing for cameras. For millions watching from overcrowded shacks and load-shedding-darkened homes, this is an insult. It underscores the widening gulf between the political elite and the people they claim to serve.
While scriptwriters polished Sona, the Pietermaritzburg Dignity and Justice Group reported that a basic household food basket has soared to R5 400 — against a working-class wage of R5 000. Ten million South Africans go to bed hungry.
Three decades ago, Nelson Mandela used his first Sona to reset the moral compass of a wounded nation. In 1998, Thabo Mbeki elevated the vision with his African renaissance address and his iconic declaration, “I am an African”. The speeches set a benchmark for honesty, ambition and connection to the people’s aspirations. Today, Sona struggles to meet that standard.
Delivery, not rhetoric
South Africa is not short of speeches, plans or promises. What it lacks is urgency, coherence and a credible path out of the slow-burning crisis of the past decade. The real deal-breaker is not what the president says; it is whether the state can deliver.
For millions of South Africans, Sona has become a jarring spectacle. The red carpet, the designer outfits and the choreographed entrances — all of it feels disconnected from the lived reality of poverty, unemployment and exclusion. Even with a 5% increase, the national minimum wage — edging towards R30 an hour — leaves millions below the poverty line. Domestic workers, many reduced to two or three days a week, are among the hardest hit.
If Sona is to regain its dignity, it must strip away the gloss and return to its core purpose: truth, accountability and a credible plan to rescue a nation in distress.
Jobs: the heart of the crisis
Unemployment remains South Africa’s emergency. The economy is not creating jobs at the scale required to absorb new entrants, let alone reduce the backlog of the unemployed. Small businesses — the engine of job creation — are suffocated by red tape, unreliable infrastructure and limited access to finance. Citizens need a realistic, sector-specific jobs plan with measurable targets, regulatory reform and a strategy to unlock labour-absorbing sectors such as agriculture, tourism, manufacturing and the digital economy.
A generation on the brink
Youth unemployment is not a statistic; it is a national trauma. Millions of young people are locked out of opportunity, education and economic participation. Temporary placements and public works programmes offer relief, not transformation.
The president must present a national skills compact, a modernised technical and vocational education and training sector, a digital skills revolution and a youth entrepreneurship ecosystem that provides capital, mentorship and market access.
Poverty and inequality
South Africa remains one of the most unequal societies in the world. Rising food prices, stagnant wages and limited mobility have pushed millions into deeper hardship. Social grants remain a lifeline for 16 million people — but they cannot substitute for economic opportunity.The president must clarify the future of the Social Relief of Distress grant, outline a strategy to reduce the cost of living and commit to inclusive growth that lifts the bottom, not only the top.
Service delivery
Municipal failure has become a national emergency. Water systems are failing. Roads are deteriorating. Waste management is inconsistent. Billing systems are dysfunctional. Residents protest weekly. The auditor general’s reports show systemic collapse. Sona should have presented a national rescue plan for failing municipalities, professionalised the public service and confronted the political decisions, including cadre deployment, that have hollowed out local government.
Crime and safety
Violent crime, organised crime, extortion rackets and gender-based violence have eroded public confidence in the state’s ability to protect its citizens. Crime is not only a policing issue; it is a governance issue. The president needed to outline a national anti-crime strategy, strengthen South African Police Service leadership and technology, remove rogue and corrupt officers and present a coordinated approach to organised crime.
Corruption
Ramaphosa’s presidency began with a promise of renewal. Yet corruption remains endemic. The Zondo commission exposed the scale of state capture but implementation has been slow and arrests slower. The Madlanga commission has added allegations of political interference in policing and justice. South Africans need a clear timeline for implementing the Zondo commission recommendations, strengthening the National Prosecuting Authority and reforming procurement — the biggest corruption risk. The newly appointed NPA head, Andy Mothibe, inherits a backlog that threatens public confidence.
Energy and infrastructure
Load-shedding may have eased but the energy system remains fragile. Infrastructure across sectors — transport, logistics, water and digital — is ageing or collapsing. Sona should have presented a long-term energy security plan, a logistics recovery strategy for Transnet and the ports and a national infrastructure maintenance programme.
Governance and the trust deficit
Public trust in institutions is eroding. Parliament, municipalities, state-owned enterprises and oversight bodies face credibility challenges. The president must commit to transparent governance, lifestyle audits and rebuilding state capacity in procurement, planning and monitoring.
A vision beyond crisis management South Africans know the problems. They live them. What they need is a vision that is believable, measurable and anchored in delivery.
For Sona to matter, the president must:acknowledge the real state of the nation; present a credible, implementable plan; commit to timelines and accountability and speak to the nation, not the political class.
If Sona is to be more than a ritual, it must be a turning point — a moment when the country hears what the government intends to do, how it will do it, when it will do it and who will be held accountable if it does not.
Marlan Padayachee, formerly a political, diplomatic and foreign correspondent, is a freelance journalist, photographer and researcher.
For weary citizens, the president’s address has become a ritual of promises rather than a moment of reckoning. If it is to regain its dignity, it must strip away the gloss and return to its core purpose
