PHUTI MOSOMANE
DA leader John Steenhuisen says President Cyril Ramaphosa has presided over “five disastrous years” far worse than those under former President Jacob Zuma.
Steenhuisen criticized Ramaphosa for being “too weak, too indecisive and too cowardly to take” decisions to move the country forward.
“For if President Zuma presided over nine wasted years, then President Ramaphosa has presided over five disastrous years. If you thought we “lost some gains” under Zuma, then under this administration, we have only gained losses,” Steenhuisen said on Tuesday during the State of the Nation debate in Cape Town.
He said Ramaphosa’s “New Dawn” was a false dawn.
“Ramaphoria was a delusion. Your supposed commitment to reform was hollow.”
“Thuma Mina was an empty slogan, the New Dawn was a cruel mirage, Phala Phala showed us who he really is, and we too wonder why he is still doing this job. Because it is now clear that Mr Ramaphosa has failed.”
He said under Ramaphosa, unemployment has skyrocketed from 36% to 43% since he became president in 2018.
Crimes such as murder, have also increased by 20% over the same period, with 70 people murdered in this country every day.
“Rolling power blackouts have become a permanent feature of life in the Ramaphosa era. In fact, when he became President in 2018, South Africa spent a total of six days under load-shedding.”
“Since then, it has gone up every year – first to 22 days, then 35 days, then 48 days. Last year, it grew to 157 days. Sadly, it looks like 2023 is going to smash that shameful record. Already this year, we have had over 1 000 consecutive hours of load-shedding – and counting.”
He said Ramaphosa missed a last chance to lead this country onto a fundamentally different and better path.
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