Umkhonto we Sizwe Party (MK Party) MP Nhlamulo Ndhlela took shots at President Cyril Ramaphosa’s State of the Nation Address (SONA) in parliament this week, accusing the administration of prioritising market confidence over structural reform and describing the speech as a defence of a “neoliberal agenda” amid persistent unemployment and inequality.
Opening his address during the National Assembly debate on the president’s speech, Ndhlela said South Africans had expected decisive leadership. But they were instead presented with what he characterised as a recycled policy script designed to reassure global investors rather than address domestic hardship.
“This was not the State of the Nation Address,” he said. “This was the state of the neoliberal agenda. A tired recital of neoliberal clichés and empty hymns to market rating agencies for global approval.”
Overly optimistic SONA
He accused Ramaphosa of presenting an overly optimistic picture of the country’s trajectory while economic pressures intensified.
“You spoke of progress while the country burnt with unemployment. You spoke of reform while poverty tightened its grip. And you spoke of renewal while inequality has become a permanent scar on the face of our people,” Ndhlela said.
The MK Party MP also targeted the government of national unity (GNU). He described it as a political arrangement designed to protect elite interests rather than drive meaningful economic transformation.
“This is a coalition not of friendship but of convenience. A grand boardroom merger of political elites to protect privilege,” he said.
“You celebrate market confidence while the African majority remains landless and excluded.”
Land reform, governance
His remarks drew objections from other MPs when he asserted that many South Africans believed the 2024 elections had been manipulated, prompting presiding officers to call for order in the chamber. Ndhlela nevertheless maintained that public trust in democratic institutions was under strain.
Turning to land reform and governance, he argued that South Africa’s legal framework remained rooted in colonial-era traditions that had not adequately addressed dispossession.
“You celebrate Roman-Dutch law as if it fell from heaven,” he said. “But where is the restorative justice for land that was stolen?”
Ndhlela called for expanded authority for traditional leaders. He said empowered kings, queens and amakhosi could play a central role in securing land rights. They could also restore cultural identity.
He also demanded lifestyle audits across all branches of the state, including the judiciary. And he argued that anti-corruption efforts should extend beyond politicians.
“No sacred cow must remain — not in the executive, not in Parliament. And certainly not in the judiciary,” he said.
Unemployment, poverty
In terms of the economy, Ndhlela described unemployment and poverty as entrenched structural crises. He called for free, decolonised higher education and stronger state-led development.
“You cannot feed a generation with patience,” he said. “Free, decolonised higher education must be a non-negotiable right.”
He further proposed a national service-style programme to mobilise young people in infrastructure, agriculture, and community development. And he criticised persistent failures in water and electricity provision.
“A sovereign state builds and controls its own strategic infrastructure,” he said.
Despite repeated time warnings from the presiding officer, Ndhlela closed by accusing Ramaphosa’s administration of prioritising market sentiment over social transformation.
“Market confidence cannot be celebrated while our people remain excluded,” he said as his speaking time expired.
