By Marcus Moloko
President Cyril Ramaphosa is scheduled to deliver the State of the Nation Address (SONA) on Thursday evening in front of a joint sitting of Parliament — the second SONA of the multiparty Government of National Unity.
The address will serve as a progress report on the medium-term development plan, the guiding blueprint for the seventh administration.
Central to this will be Operation Vulindlela reforms, a joint initiative of the Presidency and National Treasury now entering its final phase.
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Having already delivered some reforms in energy and logistics, the programme is shifting focus to digitisation and the revitalisation of local government, a critical priority in an election year.
At the heart of the local government agenda is the ongoing review of the White Paper on Financing and Governance, aimed at stabilising municipalities plagued by fiscal mismanagement and weak service delivery.
Ramaphosa is expected to outline how policy adjustments will strengthen governance and restore public trust.
The most pressing issue may be South Africa’s water supply crisis, which has spread across multiple provinces, including Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, the Eastern Cape, and parts of the Western Cape.
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Despite extensive investment in dams, the last-mile infrastructure, pipes, and distribution systems have been neglected, leaving households and villages without reliable access.
Ramaphosa is likely to announce urgent interventions to address this paradox.
The president will also revisit the fight against corruption, highlighting the work of the Madlanga Commission and the growing number of Special Investigation Unit (SIU) proclamations aimed at recovering misappropriated funds.
These measures will be framed as evidence of the government’s commitment to accountability and clean governance.
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