Johannesburg – Later today, President Cyril Ramaphosa will deliver his most important State of the Nation Address (Sona).
The joint sitting of parliament comes against the backdrop of the devastating effects of a global pandemic, which has wreaked havoc on an economy that was already ailing and unleashed untold suffering on many families.
Thousands of people have died due to the coronavirus. Millions of workers have lost their jobs, depriving many families of breadwinners, and thousands of businesses have had to close shop.
If there is a moment when Ramaphosa has to provide decisive and bold leadership, it is now.
This year’s Sona must speak to the most pressing challenges facing the nation.
To this end, South Africa needs greater transparency on the rollout of the vaccines to fight the deadly virus. Ramaphosa must provide details and clear deadlines on the rollout of the vaccines to arrest the spread of Covid-19 global pandemic.
The president must take the nation into his confidence regarding when and how South Africa will get sufficient doses to achieve herd immunity.
The nation also deserves to know the cost of the vaccines. And, most importantly, the president should shine the spotlight on sources of funding of what is the country’s biggest healthcare programme in history. Relief measures to help distressed families and businesses should also top the agenda.
Ramaphosa also needs to brief the nation on the measures that have been put in place to ensure that the rollout of the vaccines is not another festival of looting that happened during the procurement of personal protective equipment.
The Department of Health was on Friday expected to issue a tender for the delivery and storage of vaccines.
Rogue elements in society are already salivating at the prospect of cashing in on the supply chain of the vaccines. Some opportunists only registered companies this year just to take advantage of the opportunities presented by the Covid-19 vaccine programme.
The government needs to ensure that vaccine tenders are not awarded to companies that will compromise the timeous delivery of the doses and the temperature under which they must be stored.
This could lead to the loss of many more lives. South Africa has reached a defining moment in the fight against Covid-19.
This is the time for Ramaphosa to step up to the occasion and provide bold leadership to a nation that is increasingly becoming hopeless and restless.
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