The implementation of policies and projects, sticking to timelines and responsibility for their delivery so that they are measurable and sustained are crucial for South Africa, emphasised business organisations Business Leadership South Africa (BLSA) and Business Unity South Africa (Busa), as well as North-West University Business School economist Professor Raymond Parsons and industry organisation Consulting Engineers South Africa (Cesa).

In response to President Cyril Ramaphosa's State of the Nation Address (SoNA) on February 12, BLSA said it would have wanted more assurances that Cabinet and the entire government would focus on tackling the obstacles to reform and have an overriding mandate to accelerate reforms where they could because implementation remained key.

Ramaphosa emphasised the extent to which South Africa was now at a turning point and needed to capitalise on recent positive developments to build a much bigger, stronger and better economy.

The President referred to a window of opportunity to build on improving economic news and translate it into tangible improvements in citizens’ livelihoods on the ground, said Parsons.

“This injects urgency into the implementation of the half-forged policies and projects that must now make a big difference to South Africa’s future economic performance, if the Government of National Unity’s GDP growth target of 3.5% by 2030 is to be reached,” he added.

However, public trust and investor appetite would hinge on implementation that was measurable and sustained, said Busa.

“This speech has broadly achieved a positive narrative, which, when backed by clear plans, boosts confidence and attracts investment that drives growth. The next test is implementation,” said Busa CEO Khulekani Mathe.

The President's speech recognised constraints that shaped daily life and business decisions, especially public safety, weak municipal performance and infrastructure reliability.

The decisive measure now was execution, with clear accountability and visible results, he emphasised.

Cesa urged the Presidency to commit to keeping the public and stakeholders regularly updated on all key infrastructure deliverables, including those related to the water crisis, said Cesa CEO Chris Campbell.

“South Africans should not have to wait until next year’s SoNA to unpack progress on these critical issues. Transparency and consistent communication are essential to building trust and ensuring accountability as we work together to secure the nation’s water future.”

Additionally, all the organisations remarked on Ramaphosa's statement that “water is the single most important issue for many South Africans, from Johannesburg to smaller towns and rural areas”.

Busa was of the view that recognition of the water challenge was insufficient and this point should not have been reached, said Mathe.

Restoring water and sanitation services was important and Ramaphosa outlined the important reforms already planned or being implemented, which ware positive; however, these were in their early stages and the problem of dysfunctional local government was widespread, said BLSA CEO Busisiwe Mavuso.

“BLSA is therefore encouraged by his emphasis on accountability in local government, saying criminal charges had been laid against 56 municipalities and that charges would also be laid against individual municipal managers if necessary.”

BLSA was also encouraged after Ramaphosa promised that national government would intervene if a municipality was unable to solve its problems, she noted.

However, Busa wanted to see a delivery approach measured by operational improvements, not new layers of process, Mathe emphasised.

The establishment of the National Water Crisis Committee chaired by the President must drive urgent repairs, disciplined maintenance and reliable service at municipal level, he said.

Busa also welcomed incentives for municipalities to ring-fence revenue for trading services, including water and electricity, so that funds collected for essential services were protected for operations and infrastructure renewal, he added.

Cesa, meanwhile, made a more overt connection to local government, stating that water outages reflected a local government system hampered by weak institutional capability, poor financial management and failing service delivery.

“While we welcome the announcement of charges being brought against municipalities and officials who neglect their duties, talk is easy. What South Africans urgently need is collective action and true reform that leads to real, lasting improvements in water services,” said Campbell.

The National Water Crisis Committee must be more than a symbolic structure. It must have clear authority, transparent accountability and include the technical expertise needed to address the complex challenges of water infrastructure.

“We urge government to clarify how this committee will function differently from past efforts and how it will ensure swift, effective action rather than further delay,” Campbell said.

The water crisis has been looming for decades and experts have repeatedly issued warnings. It is deeply troubling that it took protests and national media coverage in the economic hub of Gauteng to bring this crisis to the forefront of government’s agenda, he stated.

Additionally, Cesa welcomed the commitment to invest R156-billion in public funding for water and sanitation infrastructure over the next three years. However, funding alone would not solve the crisis.

Crime, vandalism and corruption exacerbated infrastructure challenges, but the core problem remained ageing water and sanitation systems struggling to keep pace with growing demand and climate pressures.

South Africa urgently needed a shift from reactive maintenance to proactive upgrading of infrastructure with climate resilience to ensure access to water as a basic human right, Campbell said.

Ramaphosa did emphasise the importance of municipal reform as essential to improving delivery of water, electricity and other services, said Mavuso.

BLSA hoped the sense of urgency in his speech carried down to the relevant national and provincial officials, so that they ensured the municipalities responded positively to the initiatives, she said.

Meanwhile, the business organisations welcomed the clarity Ramaphosa provided on the process of liberalising the country's electricity market, particularly his statement that an independent Transmission System Operator (TSO) would be established that owns the relevant infrastructure.

This clearly asserted government’s position on the State-owned Eskom unbundling and the role and independence of the TSO, said Mavuso.

“This issue has caused major concern, with international investors and local business leaders starting to question government’s commitment to the reform programme,” she pointed out.

The President confirmed the agreed process and said a task team under the Presidency-led National Energy Crisis Committee would address the issue and report back in three months, she added.

However, the overall reform programme could do with a government-wide injection of renewed energy and focus on accelerating its implementation.

Without implementation of the range of municipal reforms that Operation Vulindlela was working on, residents of municipalities across the country would continue to suffer the indignity of inadequate water and electricity supply, Mavuso said.

Further, the business organisations welcomed the stated objective of further improving the country's infrastructure, particularly rail, ports and transport systems, as well as the goal of fighting crime, corruption and the illicit economy.

“The SoNA outlined several of the factors that are now needed to generate the higher, inclusive, job-rich growth required for South Africa to meet its pressing socioeconomic challenges,” said Parsons.

These include the immediate imperatives of successfully combating crime and additional steps to ensure water security, as well as several other key supportive infrastructural and policy measures.

“The outcome of the SoNA depends on the commitment to expedite implementation of what is planned and enforce realistic timelines. Implementation, in collaboration with the private sector, remains the name of the game.”