Sanibonani,

Goeie Naand,

Dumelang,

Molweni,

Avuxeni,

Ndaa!

Fellow South Africans, good evening.

I must begin this address by conveying our deepest condolences to the families of the 13 South African soldiers who have been killed in the DRC. It is the saddest of developments for us as a country because our government has still not taken us into its confidence by telling us what our men and women in uniform remain in that country for. Whose interests are we defending?  Recent reports of a possible escalation between Rwanda and South Africa are very worrisome. 

It’s important that a multiparty parliamentary and expert committee is assembled to make sense of our military presence in the DRC and clarify our endgame. While South Africans will always support their men and women in uniform, they cannot be expected to stand behind irrational government decisions, especially where the lives of our people are placed in danger.    

Now, the State of the Nation Address should be a moment of truth - a moment when the President accounts for the promises made, outlines progress and presents a credible plan to improve the lives of South Africans. But for years, SONA has been nothing more than a grand production filled with distractions, illusions, and lies repeated year after year.

South Africans are tired of being lied to!

Each year, we are forced to watch our so-called leaders parading down a red carpet in their Sunday best while South Africans struggle under one of the highest unemployment rates, and in the most unequal society in the world. We are subjected to more empty promises - whether it’s high-speed bullet trains or mythical Thintswalos -- while people battle to put food on the table and to educate their children.

The 2024 elections were supposed to be a turning point. The people of South Africa sent a clear message: The ANC must be punished. And so, the ANC lost its majority for the first time in 30 years. Now, South Africans are waiting with bated breath for the Government of National Unity to usher in the promised changes.

What we have witnessed, however, is a GNU that has turned into nothing but an ANC-led coalition where only the cadres, their politically connected friends and now, former loud opposition party officials, continue to prosper while ordinary South Africans remain left behind.

For the past 30 years, the ANC has claimed to be the champions of Black Economic Empowerment but, let me tell you the truth: South Africa has never experienced BEE, at least not in its true sense. We have only experienced ANC-EEE. The ANC's Exclusive Economic Empowerment, which has enriched the politically connected elite and their families while the majority of South Africans have been left out in the cold.

And now, to add insult to injury, we must contend with the new kids on the governing block, led by the country’s former official opposition, the Democratic Alliance. Indications are they’re in it to enjoy their turn on the infamous gravy train, while they kid-glove their way through topics that might get them thrown off the train.

In 2020, following the People’s Dialogue, I, together with other like-minded South Africans took a decision to challenge the status quo and play our part towards fighting for a better South Africa. ActionSA exists for one reason: to restore the dignity of all South Africans.

We believe in real inclusive economic empowerment and transformation, where every hardworking South African - irrespective of their background – can build a prosperous future; not just the well-connected, not just those with ANC or DA membership cards. All of us!

We will not stand by and allow the ANC-led coalition to continue with what is wrong with our politics. We will not stand by and watch this GNU follow in the footsteps of the last 30 years of countless government failures that have betrayed South Africans. 

This GNU government has been in power for over seven months, and yet:

The economy remains stagnant, defined by policies that keep millions unemployed.

Crime is out of control, with criminals operating with impunity while the justice system collapses.

Borders remain wide open, allowing illegal migration and illicit trade to flourish unchecked.

Education is in crisis, yet the government has no compelling plan to fix our broken schools.

The ANC-led coalition is doubling down on failed policies that have not put South Africans first but left ordinary South Africans struggling.

Expropriation with Nil Compensation is now law, but we know exactly what is likely to happen. Politicians can use such laws to steal for themselves, while ordinary South Africans get nothing, and no one will be held accountable for criminal wrongdoing and unethical acts. We must remain vigilant and ensure that any land that gets expropriated is taken only for public good.

The GNU must be watched with the eye of the hawk. It must never benefit from blind trust by the public. We know better now! Expropriation must serve the public good, not enrich political cronies.

All indications already point to the ANC’s GNU partners, starting with the DA, being completely powerless to prevent it from going on as if it is still the sole governing party of our country. This is both disappointing and dangerous.

When I led the City of Johannesburg as the Executive Mayor, we showed South Africans what expropriation should be. We took back hijacked and abandoned buildings, not for politicians but to provide housing for our people. We cleaned up parts of the inner city and made housing available for hardworking South Africans. That is what expropriation should be – to put the interests of South Africans first. And the people must be fully on board and witness the benefits. How many housing projects are lying fallow and rotting, benefitting only the politicians who got their cuts and vanished without a trace?

ActionSA will be unrelenting in keeping our ears to the ground to ensure that expropriation benefits the people, not corrupt politicians. Of that, fellow South Africans you can rest assured!

To truly put South Africans first, ActionSA believes that urgent reforms must prioritise: 

FIXING THE ECONOMY

Introduce clear, pro-growth economic policies that attract investment, create opportunities for SMME development, and create jobs.

Invest in critical infrastructure - water, roads, rail, and public transport, affordable housing within easy access to job opportunities - to drive sustainable development.

End ANCEEE and replace it with Inclusive Economic Empowerment that benefits all disadvantaged South Africans, not just political elites.

Implement labour reforms to make it easier for businesses to recruit workers from the 12 million unemployed South Africans.

Drive industrial revitalisation by reclaiming abandoned, derelict, factories and industrial zones.

ENDING LAWLESSNESS

Strengthen the criminal justice system to ensure real consequences for criminals.

Train and equip law enforcement to conduct proper investigations that lead to convictions.

Expand specialised crime-fighting units to combat organized crime and corruption.

Deploy the military domestically to protect key infrastructure and prioritise our national security.

SECURING OUR BORDERS

Implement strict border controls to curb illegal immigration and smuggling.

Launch a mass deportation program for those who are in South Africa unlawfully. No self-respecting country can support unchecked migration or the notion of open borders. This is not to be confused with efforts towards free trade movements, we must not be fooled!

Crack down on corruption within Home Affairs, which enables illegal migration and systematic corruption.

FIXING EDUCATION

Overhaul the curriculum to equip learners for the evolving demands of the modern economy.

Restore performance management and school inspections – and teachers' unions must comply with this.

Expand access to higher education and vocational training.

Ensure no student is denied access to education due to financial constraints.

CLEANING UP LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Enforce minimum infrastructure spending to prevent service delivery collapse.

Place failing municipalities under administration and appoint skilled, independent leaders.

End the culture of cadre deployment and corruption that has crippled service delivery.

PROTECTING LOCAL BUSINESS

Drive local economic growth by formalizing and supporting township and rural businesses.

Implement ActionSA’s #SPAZA4LOCALS Campaign and the upcoming tabling of the #ReservedSectors Amendment Member’s Bill which are intended to unapologetically prioritise and empower South African entrepreneurs.

Crackdown on the illicit cross-border trade market, which undermines local businesses and government revenue collection.

STRENGTHENING SOUTH AFRICA’S VOICE IN THE GLOBAL ARENA

Let us move away from emotion-driven, Soviet-era attachments, and learn to be transactional in our relations with, particularly, all global powers. We must be clear about what is in it for South Africa, in our relations with others.

Protect human and environmental rights wherever they occur, irrespective of who tramples on them. We must do this with the knowledge that whenever wars and instability occur elsewhere, especially in our region, it will be just a matter of time before people flee across our borders.

Demand an equitable voice in multilateral institutions, especially the United Nations Security Council where the Veto power continues to be abused to defend the indefensible by those who hold it.

Stop allowing others to choose our friends and dictate our foreign relations to the point of instructing us on who can have an office in our nation’s capital and diplomatic hub and who cannot.

South Africa has been failed by government after government, excuse after excuse, and lie after lie. Change is not only necessary, but also possible.

South African voters made it clear in the 2024 elections that while the solution we seek will come from different parties working together, they will not emerge from parties that coalesce around policies and ideas that have failed for decades.

It is for this reason that ActionSA has embarked on a drive to create a rational, results-driven, alternative that is underpinned by the philosophy of what Dr Kekana, ActionSA’s Deputy President, and I refer to as “Service Deliverism”. It is also what you have begun to see unfold in Tshwane, since the election of Dr Nasiphi Moya as Executive Mayor, who leads a stable coalition in our nation’s capital. 

Dr Moya has done the following since she became Tshwane Mayor:  

Financial Recovery & Eskom Debt Settlement: Under Mayor Moya’s leadership, Tshwane has secured a landmark agreement with Eskom to settle the City’s R6.7 billion debt over five years, avoiding power disruptions and restoring financial stability. The city is also working hard to improve revenue collection as they work towards tabling a funded budget for the first time in years.

Service Delivery Acceleration: The city has made significant strides in addressing service delivery backlogs inherited from the previous administration. As of 19 January 2025, 98.6 % of water leaks have been resolved, and 84% of potholes. The City has also repaired 15,339 streetlights and restored 1,022 high-mast lights, while making notable progress in reducing electricity distribution faults, particularly cable-related issues.

Addressing Water Security in Hammanskraal: For the first time in decades, real progress is being made towards delivering clean water to Hammanskraal. The first phase of the Magalies Water Package Plant is operational, and the city has written off over R600 million in water debt for affected residents.

Law and Order Enforcement: TMPD has intensified enforcement operations against illegal land occupations, non-compliant businesses, and criminal syndicates threatening service delivery. This includes shutting down illicit activities in Sunnyside and Refilwe township, sending a clear message that lawlessness will not be tolerated.

Driving Economic Growth and Investment: Mayor Moya’s administration is finalising a new Economic Growth Strategy to attract investment, create jobs, and improve the ease of doing business in Tshwane. The strategy prioritises unlocking high-growth sectors, cutting red tape for investors, and fast-tracking development projects in key industrial zones like Rosslyn to position Tshwane as a competitive economic hub.

We have entered an era in our country where political parties must work together to bring change, but this cannot be based on multi-party delivery of the same old, failed politics.

ActionSA knows that we occupy a critical place as the largest party outside of the GNU and of the self-titled progressive caucus.

We have already embarked on a path to work with other political parties to build a block of the rational opposition in South Africa that will provide a growing alternative to the failed politics of the status quo.

All of this, my fellow South Africans, is what ActionSA pledges to do wherever it occupies decisive government seats and leads local municipalities.

What you’re already seeing in Tshwane is a sure sign of things to come, as it will ensure that we move form a SONA of broken promises, missed and squandered opportunities, to one of reasons to celebrate progress.

Tomorrow, President Ramaphosa will stand before this nation and repeat the same tired lines. Amidst loud applause from his party and GNU benches, he will ask for more time, make more excuses, and insist that progress is being made.

But you know the truth. You live it every day.

South Africa is ready for a new approach; one that prioritizes citizens, holds leaders accountable, and delivers real change.

The time for political fluff is over. I invite more of you to stand with ActionSA, roll-up your sleeves, and work with us as we take our country back, fix it for future generations and restore the dignity of all South Africans.

I thank you.