‘Lies, lies, lies’ vs ‘his best speech’ — Ramaphosa’s Opening of Parliament Address draws mixed reactions

Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture, Mr Gayton McKenzie at the Opening of Parliament Address (OPA) for the Seventh Administration at Cape Town City Hall on July 18, 2024 in Cape Town, South Africa. The address provides President Cyril Ramaphosa an opportunity to outline the key priorities and policies of the seventh administration. (Photo by Gallo Images/Brenton Geach)

By Suné Payne and Velani Ludidi

19 Jul 2024

While some in the Government of National Unity were happy with the measures announced by President Cyril Ramaphosa on Thursday night, opposition members said his speech was merely a repeat of previous promises.

Opposition political leaders on Thursday criticised President Cyril Ramaphosa’s Opening of Parliament Address, accusing the President of failing to address the real issues facing South Africans.

ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba dismissed the address as mere propaganda for the Government of National Unity (GNU).

“The President did everything possible to sell this pipe dream of GNU rather than actually dealing with the issues facing people of our country,” said Mashaba.

He questioned how the President planned to handle the Democratic Alliance’s (DA’s) stance on the economy, noting, “The DA believes that inequality will be addressed by a growing economy, but black people are not poor because we want to be poor; it is because of many years of colonisation, and we need intervention.”

uMkhonto Wesizwe (MK) party spokesperson Nhlamulo Ndhlela labelled the address as “lies, lies, lies, continuous lies”. He accused Ramaphosa of making false promises about job creation, calling out the President’s statement that the Presidential Employment Stimulus had created almost 2 million “work and livelihood opportunities”.

“There is no such thing as 2 million jobs; he is referring to the Expanded Public Works Programme where people are rotated in the same jobs,” said Ndhlela.

He predicted the GNU’s demise due to its partners clashing over policies. He claimed, “KwaZulu Natal is coming back to the rightful party [MK]”, without elaborating on how this would occur.

Read more: GNU is the name, unity is the game — President Ramaphosa focuses on a ‘cooperation nation’

Vuyo Zungula at the Progressive Caucus media briefing at Good Hope Chambers on 18 July 2024 in Cape Town, South Africa. (Photo: Gallo Images / Ziyaad Douglas)

African Transformation Movement (ATM) leader Vuyo Zungula said Ramaphosa had repeated points he made in previous addresses, including the State of the Nation Address in February.

“It is our view as the ATM that there needs to be a stronger opposition that will be effective in holding them accountable,” said Zungula. He affirmed the Progressive Caucus’s commitment to challenging the government on policy issues and wrongdoing.

Zungula added that the ATM would lead motions to address issues facing South Africans, emphasising the need for a robust opposition to ensure accountability and effective governance.

Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader Julius Malema told journalists the speech was “nothing new” and merely repeated previous promises.

He also predicted the GNU would collapse, following which he could “guarantee” South Africans would get a “progressive government”.

The EFF, MK party, National Coloured Congress, United Africans Transform and ATM are all members of the Progressive Caucus, as announced on Thursday at a media briefing in Cape Town.

John Steenhuisen, leader of the Democratic Alliance, during President Cyril Ramaphosa's Opening of Parliament Address for the Seventh Administration at Cape Town City Hall on 18 July 2024 in Cape Town, South Africa. (Photo: Gallo Images / Jeffrey Abrahams)

GNU members happy

Democratic Alliance leader and Minister of Agriculture John Steenhuisen told Daily Maverick, “We believe the measures announced by the President this evening are the right measures.

“We went into government and joined the Government of National Unity because we want to be part of the project of building South Africa.

“What you’ve seen is now a Government of National Unity and there’s a synthesis of the variety of the manifestos that we all took to the nation.”

Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture Gayton McKenzie at the Opening of Parliament Address for the Seventh Administration at Cape Town City Hall on 18 July 2024 in Cape Town, South Africa. (Photo: Gallo Images / Brenton Geach)

Patriotic Alliance leader Gayton McKenzie, the minister of sports, arts and culture, said: “I think in the history of the speeches of President Cyril Ramaphosa this was his best one.”

One of the GNU’s most vocal supporters, McKenzie said the speech was “pragmatic, it was forward-looking. I support him. I’m excited by this speech”.

McKenzie, whose party has often been in coalitions and clashed with the African National Congress and the DA, said the speech was very “inward-looking” as Ramaphosa had admitted to problems in local government.

Read more: Motorsport spinning, school sports and Die Stem – Gayton McKenzie delivers maiden speech in Parliament

Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) leader and Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) Minister Velenkosini Hlabisa said the speech was a “good response” to the 29 May election results.

“The people of South Africa said political parties [must] find each other, work together, take our country forward,” said Hlabisa.

“The speech by the President was an outcome of the Cabinet lekgotla over the weekend in Pretoria where we agreed that we commit ourselves to work together to take our country forward.”

During the first sitting of Parliament, Hlabisa seconded Ramaphosa’s nomination for President.

“The commitment is for five years because we want to create a stable government at a national level, but that stability must filter down to the local governments and municipalities. It is where development, it is where services are rendered,” he said.

‘The work has just begun’

The Good party’s Patricia de Lille, the minister of tourism, said, “I think the work has just begun. The speech is informed by the Statement of Intent that all political parties have already signed and now we need to unbundle that.”

De Lille, who was the only opposition member in Cabinet in the sixth administration but is now part of the GNU, said the task over the next month was to work on implementing the plans Ramaphosa spoke of.

She admitted that while these plans were not new, “We need to deal with the unfinished business of the sixth administration and complete that. So, from our side, we will continue to play a constructive role.”

Good previously campaigned on issues of social justice, including for a basic income grant and the release of well-located state land for affordable housing.

“We said that the poor people cannot wait for the economy to grow. Therefore, we are advocating for the basic income grant. I’m happy to hear that the President is saying it’s now not a matter of if we are going to do it, but when.” DM

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GNU members happy

‘The work has just begun’