CAPE TOWN - South Africa has been battling several issues including crime, unemployment, and corruption.
In the previous State of the Nation Address by President Cyril Ramaphosa, commitments and promises were made to address these issues. But has there been any progress?
Crime
In his November 2024 briefing, Police Minister Senzo Mchunu, reported a 5.1 percent decline in serious crimes between July and September 2024.
Murder cases declined by 5.8 percent, robbery cases by 8.8 percent and sexual offences by 2.5 percent.
However, eNCA spoke to residents in the Johannesburg CBD and Randburg, who say this is not their reality.
Unemployment
Unemployment in South Africa has been on the rise in recent years.
Graduates and ordinary citizens have been struggling to find jobs.
But Statistics SA says South Africa experienced its first unemployment rate decline in 2024, dropping from 33.5 percent to 32.1 percent.
Despite this, the number of people who have lost hope in looking for work has increased.
Corruption
Financial and political corruption are among the issues that concern South Africans.
Monthly surveys conducted between 2022 and 2024 revealed a high number of complaints and concerns from citizens.
There have been several high-profile corruption cases like the one involving VBS Mutual Bank.
But, in 2024, the number of people worried about corruption rose to 45 percent indicating that it remains an issue.
NHI
President Ramaphosa signed the NHI bill into law in May 2024, with the aim of providing access to affordable and quality healthcare to all South Africans.
He signed the bill amidst poor health infrastructure and a shortage of healthcare workers.
The South African Medical Association has shared concerns about the NHI ACT and revealed that there were about 1,800 unemployed junior doctors.
The Health Department has also stated that it cannot employ more healthcare practitioners due to budget constraints.
Foreign relations
The signing of the Expropriation Bill put South Africa under the spotlight, especially from the Donald Trump administration. The American president has threatened to cut future funding to South Africa due to this land policy.
The presence of South African soldiers in the DRC war as part of SADC is another contentious issue, which has seen a war of words between Ramaphosa and the Rwandan President, Paul Kagame.
- By Ntandoyenkosi Kubheka