With only days before the general elections, President Cyril Ramaphosa addressed the nation on Sunday evening. Here is everything you need to know about the address.
RAMAPHOSA URGED ALL SOUTH AFRICANS TO CAST THEIR VOTE THIS WEEK
President Cyril Ramaphosa said millions of South Africans will exercise their right to vote.
He said this will be the seventh time that South Africans of all races, from all walks of life, from all corners of our country, will go to vote for national and provincial government.
“We will once again assert the fundamental principle, articulated in the Freedom Charter, that no government can justly claim authority unless it is based on the will of all the people.
“In the days to come, we will be doing much more than exercising our Constitutional right to vote.
“We will be determining the direction that our country takes. We will be taking responsibility for our future, the future of our families, our communities, and our nation.”
THIS WILL BE THE SEVENTH TIME THAT SOUTH AFRICANS OF ALL RACES CAN GO AND VOTE
Ramaphosa said law enforcement agencies and security services have made extensive preparations to ensure that these elections are peaceful and that all South Africans can freely exercise their right to vote.
Law enforcement agencies have deployed personnel throughout the country to ensure that there are no disturbances or disruptions to the election process.
He further highlighted some of what the country endured in the last couple of years.
WHAT HAS HAPPENED IN THE LAST ADMINSTRATION OF OUR DEMOCRACY?
This election brings to a close the sixth administration of our democracy.
“When this administration took office in 2019, our country stood at a turning point.
“We had endured a decade of corruption and state capture, of weak economic growth and the erosion of our public institutions.”
He said today, this era is behind us.
“We have placed South Africa on a new trajectory of recovery and laid a strong foundation for future growth.
“We have taken significant steps to reform our economy by implementing a number of reforms that affect various sectors of the economy.”
Ramaphosa says.
HERE IS WHAT THESE SIGNIFICANT STEPS INCLUDE
Ramaphosa said these include:
- We implemented a number of initiatives and measures to reposition the criminal justice system.
- The signing of new legislation established the NPA’s Investigating Directorate against Corruption as a permanent entity.
- We implemented a massive package of social and economic support to protect vulnerable businesses, workers, and households from the destructive effects of the pandemic.
- More than 5.7 million workers received wage support through the special UIF scheme.
- Through the introduction of the special SRD grant, relief was provided to more than 11 million unemployed people at the height of the pandemic.
- Healthcare providers administered more than 39 million COVID-19 vaccine doses.
- The people of South Africa stood firm against those who wanted to incite an insurrection in July 2021 when it looked like our country would go up in flames.
- South Africans came together to provide material assistance to those affected and to rebuild what catastrophic flooding had destroyed in parts of KwaZulu-Natal, the Eastern Cape, and the North West.
- Eskom’s efforts to improve the performance of its power stations was supported.
- More than R1.5 trillion have been mobilised in new investment commitments. This has led to the opening of new factories, mines, data centres and production lines.
- Over the last five years, we have supported more than 1,000 black industrialists. Today, more than half a million workers own shares in the companies they work for.
- In the past two years, we have increased the number of police on the street by 20,000 and established specialized task teams in the police to tackle illegal mining, cable theft, cash-in-transit heists, gangsterism, and other economic crimes.
- The signing of a new law has established a National Council on GBV and Femicide, tasked with leading and coordinating our national response.
Ramaphosa urged all South Africans to go and cast their votes.
WILL YOU BE VOTING THIS WEEK?
“There is more work to be done. Let us draw strength and encouragement from the difficulties we have overcome together.
“I call upon all South Africans to go cast their votes. We are a diverse people but a united nation.
“Let us be united in our commitment to our democracy. Let us work together to build a better country.”
Click here for everything you need to know about the upcoming elections.
