Don’t send Cyril Ramaphosa

It is eight years after President Cyril Ramaphosa delivered his first State of the Nation Address (SONA), and most of his promises remain unfulfilled.

Ramaphosa delivered his inaugural State of the Nation Address on Friday, 16 February 2018. It was promoted as the beginning of a new era for South Africa.

He addressed a packed National Assembly Chamber at the Houses of Parliament in Cape Town. This building has since been burned down.

The defining theme of his speech, and his presidency, was “Thuma Mina”, which translates into Send Me.

He quoted Hugh Masekela’s song Thuma Mina, calling on South Africans to volunteer their time and skills to build the country.

His first address to the nation was full of hope and promises about building a free and prosperous country.

“We are building a country where a person’s prospects are determined by their own initiative and hard work, and not by the colour of their skin,” he said.

He said job creation was at the centre of the national agenda and even launched a Jobs Summit to ensure it happens.

He promised to address the decline in our manufacturing capacity over many years, which has deeply affected employment and exports.

“We will seek to re-industrialise on a scale and at a pace that draws millions of job seekers into the economy,” he said.

Ramaphosa promoted the commission of inquiry into state capture headed by the Deputy Chief Justice, Judge Raymond Zondo.

“We must ensure the extent and nature of state capture is established, confidence in public institutions is restored, and that those responsible are identified,” he said.

He promised the government would fight corruption, fraud, and collusion and address them effectively.

“We will urgently address the leadership issues at the National Prosecuting Authority to ensure that it is stabilised and able to fulfil its mandate unhindered,” he said.

Cyril Ramaphosa’s performance

President Cyril Ramaphosa is set to deliver the 2026 State of the Nation Address (SONA) on Thursday, 12 February 2026.

It is a good time to reflect on what has been achieved over the last eight years and whether he stuck to his promises.

It does not look good. In many cases, the country has moved backwards instead of towards the goals Ramaphosa set out in 2018.

It is hard to argue that a person’s skin colour does not influence their prospects in South Africa, considering that the country has 145 racial acts, according to the Institute of Race Relations (IRR)’s Index of Race Laws.

Strict black economic empowerment (BEE) and employment equity (EE) targets force companies and the government to appoint people based on race.

Ramaphosa performed even worse in job creation. When he delivered his first SONA, South Africa’s official unemployment rate was 26.7%.

Over the last eight years, South Africa’s unemployment rate has increased to 31.9%. Approximately 8 million people are actively looking for work but cannot find a job.

The youth was particularly hard hit. Among people aged 15 to 24 years, the official unemployment rate stood at 58.5%.

The combined unemployment rate and the potential labour force revealed that 69.3% of young people are unemployed.

This showed that many young people are so discoursed that they do not even bother looking for work. This is not what Ramaphosa promised in 2018.

Over the last eight years, the manufacturing sector in South Africa has declined in its overall contribution to the economy.

In 2018, manufacturing contributed roughly 13% to 14% to the GDP. By early 2026, that figure has dipped closer to 12.5%.

These are signs of early deindustrialization, a far cry from Ramaphosa’s promise that South Africa will be re-industrialised.

He performed equally poorly in holding corrupt officials to account and in using the findings of the Zondo Commission to clean up the government.

There were no high-profile convictions despite overwhelming evidence of widespread corruption in the government.

In many cases, corruption has become worse. Assassinations of whistleblowers and those trying to stop malfeasance have become commonplace.

Even the South African Police Service (SAPS) and the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) have been infiltrated by criminal syndicates.

Ramaphosa has also been personally linked to dubious activities, including the Phala Phala scandal and his alleged relationship with Hangwani Morgan Maumela, although he has extensively denied wrongdoing.

Maumela, Ramaphosa’s nephew by marriage, has been implicated in the looting of R2 billion from the Tembisa Hospital.

Ramaphosa did not deliver on his promises. His 2026 State of the Nation speech should really be titled, “Don’t Send Me’.