At a time when South Africans seek hope in a brighter tomorrow, tonight’s SONA represented a continuation of the SONA’s of the past. More empty words without any action.

While appropriate, the President’s praise of the resilience of the South African people failed to recognise government’s role in testing this resilience. It failed to deflect the fact that lockdowns were not used to equip our health systems, but rather to loot under the cover of tragedy. 

Of greatest significance was the shocking absence of detail about the vaccination programme. At a time where the SONA needed to generate confidence in the vaccination plans of government, the absence of these plans from the President was a glaring admission that no real plan exists. More time was dedicated to report back on the development of new mega-Cities with high-speed bullet trains, than the time that was dedicated to communicate a vaccination plan. In the considerable history of failures arising from past State of the Nation Addresses, none will compare to the Presidents failure tonight to communicate a coherent plan to vaccinate our nation. 

Finally despite reference to the State Capture Commission of Inquiry, no leadership was provided on the subject of former President Zuma’s creation of a constitutional crisis with his refusal to appear at the commission. 

ActionSA reiterates that South Africa can be turned around, that we can rise out of the depths of our national depression and that we can achieve a future where South Africa works. 

For this to be achieved South Africans will have to come together and Act as One, to: 

1. Remove the ANC because South Africa cannot succeed and South Africans cannot prosper as long as the ANC is in government. The pandemic has demonstrated, in a time of national crisis, its incapacity to deliver when required and the depths of its depravity. To get South Africa working, South Africans must begin the process of consigning the ANC to the opposition benches and this must begin in 2021. 
2. Beat the Covid-19 Pandemic by getting the priorities straight, which is the fastest possible delivery of the required vaccine doses and the effective planning behind this massive logistics exercise. South Africa is blessed with great minds and expertise that can be enlisted to ensure that the vaccination programme is a departure of the entire management of the pandemic, and successfully averts a 3rd, 4th and 5th wave of infections. 
3. Turnaround our economy through the adoption of clear and uncompromising economic policy that ends the tripartite alliance’s veto on our economic direction. Government budgets must be slashed to inject tax reductions into our economy that generate economic activity. This must be led by the President with a reduction of his cabinet. Major economic reforms must be taken that will relax labour laws to make it easier for unemployed South Africans to be hired and that will actively incentivise business, big and small, in South Africa. Any notion of funding the vaccine rollout through tax increases should be publicly denounced immediately.

If there is one message that arises from SONA 2021 let it be that we can get South Africa working and that there is hope, despite what emerges from our Parliament. 

This hope lies not in a broken political system that has failed us, year after year, but with us the South African people. We, the good, law-abiding, freedom loving and family-oriented majority of our country can come together to Act as One to get South Africa working.