President Cyril Ramaphosa has called on South Africans to enter the new year with renewed hope, unity and confidence, while acknowledging the deep challenges many people continue to face.
Unemployment pressure on millions
In his New Year’s Eve message delivered on Wednesday, Ramaphosa said the past year had been difficult for millions of citizens, with unemployment, poverty, inequality and the high cost of living placing heavy pressure on households.
He also highlighted ongoing fears around crime, gang violence and gender-based violence, as well as failures in basic service delivery in many communities.
Ramaphosa said the government was fully aware of these hardships and was taking steps to address them, stressing that progress depended on cooperation between government, business, labour, civil society and citizens.
“I acknowledge these difficulties plainly, and give assurance that your struggles are known and understood,” said Ramaphosa.
Despite the challenges, Ramaphosa said there were clear signs that the country was moving in the right direction.
He pointed to economic recovery, easing inflation, a stronger rand and South Africa’s sovereign credit rating upgrade for the first time in nearly 20 years. According to Ramaphosa, this improvement would allow government to fund infrastructure and social development at lower costs.
He said job creation, particularly for young people, remained a major focus. Programmes such as the Presidential Employment Stimulus, the Presidential Youth Employment Intervention and partnerships with the private sector through the Youth Employment Service had created hundreds of thousands of work and training opportunities.
Infrastructure investment was also highlighted as a major priority, with more than R1 trillion budgeted over the next three years to improve roads, ports, rail, energy and water systems. Ramaphosa said improvements at Eskom had led to months without load shedding, easing pressure on households and businesses.
On crime and corruption, Ramaphosa said rooting out corruption remained an overriding priority.
Billions recovered by SIU and ASU work
He said billions of rand had been recovered through the work of the Special Investigating Unit and the Asset Forfeiture Unit, while specialised task teams had made progress against illegal mining, kidnapping and infrastructure-related crimes.
Ramaphosa also spoke about political and social renewal, highlighting the launch of the National Dialogue, which aims to bring South Africans together to shape the next chapter of the country’s democracy.
He said the process would be guided by an Eminent Persons Group and supported by community representatives to ensure inclusivity and integrity.
On the global stage, he said South Africa’s successful hosting of the G20 Summit had strengthened the country’s international standing and ensured that the voices of Africa and the Global South were recognised.
“We can stand proud that the legacy of our G20 Presidency is that we ensured that the voice of our continent Africa and the Global South is recognised, reflected and respected,” said Ramaphosa.
He delivered a special message to men, calling on them to respect women and girls and to reject gender-based violence and femicide.
“I call upon the men of South Africa to respect and honour the young girls and the women of South Africa and desist from gender-based violence and fermicide,” he said.
