President Cyril Ramaphosa’s State of the Nation Address has drawn sharp criticism from the opposition party, which accuses him of presenting a narrative disconnected from ordinary South Africans’ lived experiences.
During his address in parliament last Thursday, Ramaphosa presented an analogy featuring a character named Tintswalo, highlighting the purported success of the ANC’s policies over the past three decades.
However, the opposition has countered this narrative with starkly different accounts.
A depiction of Tintswalo
The president’s analogy depicted Tintswalo as a beneficiary of free healthcare, education, and social support programmes, symbolising the supposed triumphs of ANC governance.
Yet the DA chief whip, Siviwe Gwarube, believes that it is a distortion of truth and an insult to those enduring systemic poverty and inequality.
Gwarube denounced the president’s narrative as a “revisionist and dishonest fairytale”, emphasising that Tintswalo’s story represents the exception rather than the rule.
Instead, Gwarube introduced alternative narratives, such as that of Thabang, a 29-year-old from Alexandra, whose life is marked by unemployment, poverty, and broken promises from the government.
She highlighted the failure of ANC policies to uplift millions of people trapped in a cycle of deprivation.
ANC government’s systemic failures
Gwarube’s criticism extended beyond individual anecdotes, pointing to systemic failures such as inadequate service delivery, corruption scandals, and the tragic death of Langalam Viki, a three-year-old who died in a pit toilet due to negligence in schools.
She emphasised the government’s responsibility for perpetuating a crisis that forces mothers like Bongeka Buso to contemplate ending their lives and those of their children due to extreme poverty.
Gwarube further accused the ANC government of gaslighting citizens and failing to deliver tangible improvements, particularly during Ramaphosa’s tenure.
“South Africa is not a poor country. It is a country that is led poorly and let down by an uncaring government,” she said.
Gwarube highlighted alarming statistics, including a 26% increase in severe malnutrition among children under five years, as well as over 12 000 deaths due to starvation in hospitals since 2013.
Impact of ANC governance
These figures, she stated, demonstrate the devastating impact of ANC governance on ordinary South Africans.
“What is clear from the president’s reluctance to recount key tangible deliverables of the past term in office is that these are few and far between,” Gwarube said.
“He decided to do some fancy footwork on Thursday by focusing on the past 30 years of democracy and not the past five years of his Presidency.
“He, too, is ashamed of his record in government. He, too, knows that South Africans are worse off today than they were in 2019 at the beginning of this administration.
“He, too, knows that his government’s time is up.”
