Section 84(d) of the Constitution vests in the President the authority to convene both Houses of Parliament for a special sitting, a power that is generally interpreted as encompassing, by implication, the delivery of the State of the Nation Address. On Thursday evening, President Cyril Ramaphosa carried out the annual presidential ritual of convening the nation and providing an update on the current situation and the everyday lived experiences of citizens. Whereas citizens possess intimate knowledge of their own lived experiences and the challenges they encounter daily, the president is expected to articulate a macro-structural analysis of societal and political processes from the vantage point of the apex of state power. Most importantly, the president is expected to mediate between present conditions and future imperatives by articulating and implementing macro-level programmatic interventions.

The State of the Nation Address, as mandated by the Constitution, should function as an institutional mechanism for reassurance and the protection of the well-being of citizens. It ought to articulate a coherent framework that aligns individual aspirations with the overarching national vision, while also affirming the existence and further development of a secure, adequately resourced and enabling sociopolitical environment.

Several salient issues can be identified since the extensive and detailed speech, beginning with those pertaining to the domestic front. The President noted, as an initial point, that Operation Vulindlela has substantially accelerated the implementation of economic reforms, thereby fostering a more enabling environment for investment, market competition and overall business activity. It is reported that approximately 2,5 million employment-related opportunities have been made accessible to young people through the Presidential Employment Stimulus. Additional employment opportunities are generated through the implementation of the Expanded Public Works Programme and the Community Works Programme.

The President asserted that macroeconomic conditions are currently characterised by positive growth, accompanied by a decline in the unemployment rate, and that the prevalence of food poverty has been reduced, in part, because of the implementation of the SRD grant. Under the leadership of the newly established Government of National Unity, a set of strategic priorities has been delineated, and their implementation – initiated in the preceding year – has been further advanced. The strategic priorities encompass promoting inclusive economic growth and employment generation, alleviating poverty, mitigating the elevated cost of living and strengthening the capacity and ethical integrity of a developmental state.

Over the next five years, a target of R2 trillion in new investments is projected. To expedite inclusive economic growth, the government will implement supportive measures for agents of opportunity creation, particularly young women and men who establish small and medium-sized enterprises. Accordingly, an allocation of R2,5 billion will be designated to finance more than 180 000 enterprises, and an additional R1 billion in guarantees will be made available.

Insights derived from the purported success of Operation Vulindlela will be systematically applied to inform and guide reforms in the criminal justice system. In the context of ongoing efforts to combat graft and systemic corruption, South Africa has been delisted from the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) grey list. Crime prevention efforts will be strengthened through the recruitment of 5 500 additional police officers, while communities adversely affected by gang-related violence and illicit mining activities in the Western Cape and Gauteng will benefit from the strategic deployment of military forces. The security and criminal justice cluster assumed a prominent position, catalysed by the recent proceedings of the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry into corruption in the police service and associated institutions. Substantial institutional and policy reforms are anticipated following the finalisation and adoption of the recommendations of the commission.

Amid ongoing water supply constraints in parts of Gauteng, the government has announced that more than R516 billion has been earmarked over the next three years for the enhancement and expansion of water and sanitation infrastructure. In parallel, the implementation of additional infrastructure initiatives is ongoing, including the subsequent phases of the Lesotho Highlands Water Project and the construction of the Ntabelanga Dam in the Eastern Cape. Drawing on prior experience in managing electricity supply constraints and load‑shedding over recent years, the President has established a National Water Crisis Committee, which he will chair personally. A substantial number of municipalities have not adequately maintained their water and sanitation infrastructure, prompting the state to initiate criminal proceedings against 56 of these local authorities.

The themes of institutional reform and specialised task teams predominated in the address, as the President announced the establishment of a new task team mandated to collaborate with the Minister of Agriculture in combating the outbreak of foot‑and‑mouth disease, which is severely affecting the agricultural sector in certain regions of the country.

To strengthen foundational learning outcomes, priority will be accorded to early childhood development (ECD). Public subsidies for ECD services will be expanded and participation in Grade R will be rendered compulsory. The government has further set a target to eliminate child stunting by 2030 and intends to substantially increase the allocation of resources to interventions that improve the nutrition of children.

The total number of Sector Education and Training Authorities will be decreased in conjunction with the implementation of the new reform measures. The alignment of skills development provision with contemporary and projected labour market and economic demands will be strengthened, including through the systematic enhancement of technical and vocational education and training (TVET) colleges and the optimisation of the National Skills Fund. Challenges confronting the higher-education sector, such as the inadequate provision of student accommodation, will be systematically examined and addressed.

Turning to the domain of international relationships, several pertinent issues have been articulated. It is particularly noteworthy that the President and his delegation participated in the African Union (AU) Summit in Addis Ababa immediately following the delivery of the speech. Although South Africa continues to promote regional integration and to maintain an active role in multilateral structures – most notably the African Union and the Southern African Development Community – its national defence forces have been withdrawn from participation in the United Nations peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The President emphasised that the sovereignty of South Africa and the right to self-determination are inviolable, asserting that the state will not acquiesce to coercive pressure or intimidation by any other nation. He articulated his support and solidarity with the people of Palestine, Cuba, Western Sahara, Sudan and other similarly affected regions.

As a matter of course, the President is consistently expected to communicate unambiguously to the citizenry that adequate material resources and state infrastructural capacities are available to effectively and safely accommodate and channel their aspirations, and that these

capacities are subsequently aligned with appropriate budgetary allocations across all sectors of government.

The address was highly comprehensive and elaborately detailed, featuring several particularly noteworthy statements. However, the President behaved as though he were restructuring the institutional configuration of the state and redefining the developmental trajectory of the nation, while instructing citizens on strategies for engaging with what was presented as a new phase in the evolution of the country. Some observers might inquire what novel elements or distinctive features were introduced in this speech, which constitutes the second address delivered under the GNU government.

Notably, the President’s energetic and articulate demeanour, imbued with a degree of bravado, conveyed the impression of a leader firmly in control and not dependent on a grand coalition for governance. This representation was highly misleading and carried implicit signals of a continuation of established political practices, suggesting a “business as usual” approach.

Although the speech was substantive and rhetorically compelling, it remains undetermined whether the GNU is adequately fit and institutionally capable of effecting a profound transformation of society and the economy. In the absence of demonstrable and measurable outcomes experienced by citizens, the speech is likely to be recorded in history merely as a procedural formality or a symbolic compliance exercise, rather than as a catalyst for substantive change.

Dr Mabutho Shangase is a senior lecturer in Political Studies and International Relations at the North-West University (NWU).