Jacob Zuma during his 2017 State of the Nation address.
Under the theme “The Year of Oliver Reginald Tambo: Unity in Action Together Moving South Africa Forward”, president Jacob Zuma delivered his fourth State of the Nation Address (Sona). In his speech, the president, among other things, addressed the death of psychiatric patients in Gauteng, the need to prioritise maths and science, the annual average household incomes between African headed households with their white counterparts, and the governments’ funding of students who qualify for NSFAS and have have been accepted by universities and TVET colleges.
- Watch the full M&G analysis HERE
Mail & Guardian editor Khadija Patel, Sithembile Mbete, Lawson Naidoo and Ralph Mathekga were on hand to unpack the president’s speech in a special M&G critical thinking forum. Here are 15 notable quotes from the post-Sona analysis.
- “Today, we saw that the ANC has lost the ability to hold people accountable … this is ANC that has lost its ability to self-correct”
- “Zuma is not going to analyze the cause of why we are in the situation that we are in but will simply announce a new set of policies and programmes.”
- “The government must take responsibility for its failure to achieve more than it has done.”
- “If you want to know about the real effects of white monopoly capital speak to a mine worker in Randfontein or in Marikana … because those are the people who are bearing the brunt of the unethical practices of white monopoly.”
- “We all know what happened at Marikana. Have the houses been built? Have the communities been developed? There haven’t.”
- “It is easy to focus on the government and its shortcomings, as many as they are … but to grow and develop as a society all sectors of society need to play their part.”
- “We need to shine a serious light on the role of the business sector in perpetuating inequality.”
- “The problem with South Africa’s business sector is that it does not see itself as a citizen. It doesn’t see itself has having any responsibility for the wellbeing of the country.”
- “We have placed a lot of trust on Parliament and Parliament is failing.”
- “There is nothing in the Constitution that prevents the de-racialisation of the economy. It is the failure of government policies that is to blame.”
- “Parliament is clearly broken … there needs to be a discussion on the efficiency of the electoral system that is in place and its role in the strengthening of our democracy.”
- “The ANC is the governing party and has it to take responsibility on a number of things but that does not mean that the financial sector should not come to the party. The government cannot do this alone. All stakeholders need to be involved.”
- “The president speaks of black economic empowerment but the fact of the matter is that this has benefitted the elite in the governing party.”
- “If we can stand by and not flinch when the white shirts forcefully remove the EFF it sets precedent. What then stops that same kind of psyche against protestors on the streets?”
- “I do not believe in free education for all. It will perpetuate inequality. Free education fro the poor? Absolutely.”
The Mail & Guardian’s first Critical Thinking Forum was brought to you by Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung https://www.rosalux.de/english/foundation.html and Legacy FS http://legacyfs.co.za/