Nostalgia: President Cyril Ramaphosa, pictured here at Nelson Mandela’s prison house on the premises of the Drakenstein Correctional Centre on
Wednesday, had a lot to look back on in his 2026 State of the Nation address on Thursday evening.
President Cyril Ramaphosa delivered this year’s State of the Nation address from a position of relative strength, emboldened by tangible evidence of progress in key reform areas.
Despite the weight of unresolved challenges and the cumulative pressures of the past several years, there are grounds for cautious optimism about the country’s trajectory.
This stands in contrast to the context in which Sona 2025 was delivered. That address took place during a moment of transition and fragility, shaped by the emergence of a new government of national unity, an economy tentatively recovering from prolonged stagnation, a state still repairing deep institutional damage and a society increasingly impatient for tangible improvements in everyday life.
Across President Ramaphosa’s successive State of the Nation addresses since his maiden address in 2018, a consistent reform agenda is evident. The central objectives have been to stabilise a weakened state, restore institutional credibility, revive economic growth and reposition South Africa globally.
The central question is whether those commitments have translated into discernible progress and whether achievements outweigh shortcomings. This article attempts to answer that question.
The record against these commitments is uneven but coherent. Progress has often been slower than anticipated and shaped by both structural constraints and external shocks, yet the overall trajectory aligns with the core challenges diagnosed at the outset of his presidency.
On institutional reform and governance, there has been measurable advancement.
Ramaphosa’s early commitment to rebuilding the state after years of institutional erosion translated into the strengthening of the National Prosecuting Authority and the Special Investigating Unit, as well as the implementation of the recommendations of the Judicial Commission of Inquiry into Allegations of State Capture, Corruption and Fraud in the Public Sector Including Organs of State, better known as the Zondo commission.
While the pace of accountability has been slower than initially implied in successive Sonas, institutional capability and independence are materially stronger than they were in 2018.
In economic policy, delivery has frequently trailed policy pronouncements but important structural shifts have occurred. Growth outcomes have remained constrained by weak global conditions, domestic policy contestation and legacy constraints.
The stabilisation of energy represents a decisive departure from prolonged policy paralysis. Although unemployment remains unacceptably high and growth remains modest, this binding constraint on the economy has been significantly eased.
Infrastructure development and investment mobilisation have produced mixed results. While infrastructure spending frameworks and project pipelines have improved, execution capacity at local government level continues to limit impact.
On social policy, commitments to protect the most vulnerable have largely been honoured, particularly during periods of crisis. Social
security grants demonstrate state responsiveness, even as debates over long-term fiscal sustainability remain.
Sona 2025: from commitment to measured delivery
Viewed within this longer transformation context, Sona 2025 represented an attempt to consolidate stabilisation gains while signalling a shift towards implementation. The address was bold in tone and rich in policy detail.
It articulated three overarching priorities: inclusive growth and job creation; reducing poverty and the cost of living; and building a capable, ethical and developmental state.
Within the pillars, the president committed government to accelerating structural economic reforms, stabilising network industries, expanding infrastructure investment, advancing state capability reforms, particularly at municipal level, strengthening social protection, securing energy and water systems, intensifying anti-corruption efforts and pursuing a renewed international posture grounded in multilateralism and African leadership.
One year on, the critical task is to assess whether the undertakings have translated into material progress and where implementation continues to lag behind intent.
Perhaps the most tangible area of progress since Sona 2025 has been energy stabilisation. The marked reduction in the frequency and severity of load-shedding, including extended periods without outages, reflects the cumulative impact of the Energy Action Plan and improved maintenance discipline at Eskom. This demonstrates policy commitments that are being implemented rather than perpetually deferred.
Momentum has also been sustained in broader economic reform, particularly within network industries.
Operation Vulindlela has continued to deliver incremental but meaningful progress. Reforms in freight logistics, port operations and rail access, including the release of the Transnet Network Statement, signal a decisive move away from monopoly-bound stagnation towards managed competition.
Performance at Transnet has stabilised, reflecting a reversal of decline and a level of institutional repair that would have been difficult to envisage only a few years ago.
On infrastructure, government has made credible advances in mobilising private capital. Progress on catalytic investments such as the Mtentu Bridge and major water schemes points to improvements in project preparation and financing models.
Importantly, infrastructure policy has become more realistic about the constraints of the fiscus and the necessity for structured partnerships with the private sector.
Progress has also been evident in the consolidation of the anti-corruption architecture. The permanence of the Investigating Directorate Against Corruption, continued recoveries by the SIU and Asset Forfeiture Unit (the unit) and movement towards enhanced whistleblower protection reflect institutional consolidation rather than a symbolic gesture.
While there is impatience about the pace of prosecutions, the credibility and resilience of key institutions are stronger than a year ago.
Social protection and employment interventions have continued to play a stabilising role. Public employment programmes, notably the Presidential Employment Stimulus and the Social Employment Fund, have delivered at scale. The initiatives have cushioned poverty and supported livelihoods during a fragile recovery.
In education, improved matric outcomes and a renewed focus on early childhood development signal steady and cumulative progress.
Enduring constraints and implementation gaps
The advances coexist with persistent constraints that continue to shape citizens’ lived experience.
Despite an accurate diagnosis in successive Sonas, such as municipal challenges, skills deficits, weak revenue bases and failing infrastructure, implementation of critical reforms such as ring-fenced utilities, revised funding models and a new white paper on local government has been slow.
For most citizens, lived experience remains shaped by water interruptions, failing sanitation, potholes and unreliable services.While major water projects have been unlocked and long-standing delays addressed, the water crisis continues to outpace reform.
High levels of non-revenue water, infrastructure decay and institutional fragmentation persist. Water has now emerged as a binding constraint on both economic growth and social stability.
Economic growth has remained sluggish. Although investor sentiment has improved and policy uncertainty has eased in key areas, private capital has not yet responded at the scale required.
Unemployment, especially among the youth, remains stubbornly high, underscoring the urgency of translating structural reform into labour-absorbing growth.
Commitments to professionalise the public service, strengthen appointment processes and modernise service delivery through digital platforms are characterised by slow or uneven implementation.
Ultimately, the success of these reforms will be judged by whether citizens experience greater responsiveness, efficiency and accountability on the ground.
The question then arises: On balance, do achievements against previous Sonas outweigh failures?
Measured soberly, the balance tilts slightly towards progress rather than stagnation. Achievements coexist with persistent implementation deficits, most notably at local level. The central weakness lies not in policy direction, but in pace, coordination and execution.
Stabilisation to acceleration
As the president prepared to deliver Sona 2026, expectations were increasingly focused on accelerating implementation.
Having largely stabilised the most acute crises, the imperative now was to translate transformation into sustained delivery.
There was anticipation that the president would give progress on the transformative pieces of legislation which he signed into law in the face of relentless right-wing pushbacks, such as the NHI Act, the Bela Act and the Expropriation Act.
Water security also needed attention, requiring the same urgency and coordination that has stabilised the energy sector.
Municipal reform will be accelerated, with clear accountability, professionalisation of administrations and restoration of service delivery reliability.
Across government and state-owned enterprises, implementation capacity must be strengthened so that policy moves decisively from conception to execution, supported by rigorous monitoring and clear accountability.
There was also a need to reflect on the scourge of illegal immigration and undocumented migrants, providing a progress report on efforts to safeguard South Africa’s borders and strengthen controls at ports of entry.
Whatever Thursday delivered, it will have been proof the president’s Sonas have never been exercises in empty promises.
Cornelius Monama is a public servant and government communicator. He writes in his personal capacity.