What the sixth administration has achieved

The State of the Nation Address (Sona) delivered last night by President Cyril Ramaphosa was the last by the sixth administration.

Having been inaugurated as president on 25 May, 2019, he was expected to look back on the term of his administration.

According to the Presidency, this administration “took office with a mandate to grow the economy, create employment and reduce poverty”.

It was also tasked with putting an end to corruption, as well as “restoring the integrity and capability of public institutions”.

Advancements had been made in growing the economy and job creation, building better lives, making communities safer and fighting crime, it said.

Over the years, irrespective of the administration, an inclusive economy in which all could partake, had and continued to be a top issue for government.

Fixing the economy and load shedding

In order to grow the economy, reliable energy supply is essential and energy security was cited in the country’s Economic Reconstruction and Recovery Plan (ERRP).

In July 2022, government launched the Energy Action Plan (EAP), steps to be taken to address load shedding.

Schedule 2 of the Electricity Regulation Act was amended to remove the licensing requirement for generation projects to accelerate private investment.

By last September, more than 100 projects were at various stages of development, representing more than 10 000 megawatts of new generation capacity and over R200 billion in private sector investment.

Other steps included the tabling of the Electricity Regulation Amendment Bill in parliament.

Progress continued to be made towards the unbundling of Eskom, with the newly established

National Transmission Company of South Africa obtaining its operating, trading, and import and export licences from the National Energy Regulator of South Africa in September 2023, allowing the company to operate independently from the power utility. Last month, Eskom announced the appointment of the National Transmission Company board.

This was one of the most important pillars of Eskom’s legal separation which would “create a level playing field to enable competition in electricity generation, as a key step towards energy security”, noted the

Leave No-One Behind 2024 – A Five-Year Review,

released by the Presidency this week.

Minister in the Presidency for Electricity Kgosientsho Ramokgopa was appointed last March as part of efforts to address power cuts and to expedite government’s work to ensure the full implementation of the EAP.

Jobs and investment

The ERRP was government’s response to the severe health, social and economic effects of the Covid pandemic.

Announced in 2020, the plan was founded on engagements among social partners, including government, labour, business and community-based organisations.

The government put in place the Presidential Youth Employment Initiative (PYEI), and the Presidential Employment Stimulus was also established.

According to the Presidency, the programmes have “collectively generated over 1.8 million job opportunities and provided livelihood support, predominantly benefiting young individuals”.

More than R1.51 trillion of investments had been raised over five years at the SA Investment Conference – R500 billion had already flowed into the economy.

Be er lives and education

A National Minimum Wage was introduced for the first time on 1 January, 2019. It was set at R20 an hour and has increased to its current R25.42 and from 1 March, it will increase to R27.58.

To ensure health care for all, parliament passed the National Health Insurance Bill last year. The Bill aims to provide free health care at the point of care for all South Africans. In preparation, Health Patient Registration Systems have been installed in over 3 200 facilities.

Social grants for people most affected by Covid were expanded, including the special social relief of distress grant, which reached about 11 million people.

No-fee schools, which government introduced in 2007, had continued to ensure that children got access to schooling. The number of pupils not required to pay school fees increased from 71% to 75% in 2021.

The latest matric pass rate, at 82.9%, was the highest in history, up from 78% 10 years ago. Pupils from no-fee schools accounted for more than 65% of the total bachelor passes obtained. The percentage of pupils who completed 12 years of education rose from 45% in 2008 to 62% in 2022.

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Over 1.8m job opportunities to benefit youth