South African president delivers major policy speech before election
- President Cyril Ramaphosa will address parliament on Thursday after last year promising a ‘new dawn’ for country
South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa will on Thursday deliver his last state-of-the-nation address ahead of elections in May with his party smarting from corruption allegations.
In his address to parliament last year, two days after Jacob Zuma had resigned from office, Ramaphosa vowed a “new dawn”, promising economic revival and to fight endemic corruption, earning him plaudits even from the opposition benches.
But, a year later, growth is tepid and unemployment remains stubbornly high at more than 27 per cent while embarrassing details of corruption within the government and ANC ruling party officials have emerged.
An ongoing commission into graft has heard blow-by-blow details of how bribes were paid to several government and party officials, including senior cabinet ministers serving in Ramaphosa’s government.
Mineral resources minister Gwede Mantashe and environment minister Nomvula Mokonyane are some of the top party guns whose names have been linked to corruption by witnesses at the graft hearings.
