Sona was same old wine in a new bottle

ON THURSDAY, President Cyril Ramaphosa delivered one of the most difficult State of the Nation Addresses. This is because he did so when the country was on the brink of collapse; with the highest number of unemployed people since democracy, the persistent load shedding and high levels of poverty, one will lose hope for a better future.

It was not surprising that the president began his speech by trying to give the nation hope, hope that things will be better if we work together. However, the promises of the past that were not fulfilled makes us lose this hope.

With the country facing power blackouts for a long time now, one would expect this issue would have long been dealt with; instead, we are given promises which, to an ordinary person of the street, don’t make sense.

This load shedding caused many businesses to collapse, yet the same businesses are not getting assistance.

Worse, we are now told there is a state of disaster on the energy crisis, but what does this mean? Does it mean revitalising Eskom will happen with speed? No, it could be another strategy to enforce the bringing in of Independent Power Producers.

If this is the case, more and more poor people will be plunged into a poverty crisis. Only a few could afford to buy electricity from Eskom. This forces many to go back to using fire for things like cooking. This will add to the problem of air pollution and is not good for the environment.

Every year we are promised jobs, but the jobs created are always fewer than the ones lost. We hope this time the leaders in government will let their actions speak for them. People are tired of empty promises. TOM MHLANGA | Braamfontein