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state of the nationlatest news & developments
President Cyril Ramaphosa.
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WATCH AGAIN | Ramaphosa delivers 2024 state of the nation address

The president will deliver his eighth state of the nation address. It will also be his final one under the sixth administration.

Shocking state: President Cyril Ramaphosa delivers his State of the Nation address at City Hall in Cape Town, where he announced the electricity crisis as a national state of disaster.  Photo: Dwayne Senior/Bloomberg

Energy crisis can hardly be categorised as a disaster, says expert

But widespread, destructive flooding does qualify as a disaster

Communication professionals have a role to play in bridging this gap, translating the sustainable development goals into relatable narratives that resonate with people and inspire collective action.
(Getty Images)

Ramaphosa: Just Energy Transition will be at a pace South Africa can afford

Beyond electricity, South Africa cannot continue to design its energy system based on ad-hoc responses, says conservation organisation WWF

Damp squib: There’s little to brag about on the red carpet outside parliament this year. (Ziyaad Douglas/Gallo Images)

Nobody trusts and nobody believes the Sona

We are tired, disillusioned and disbelieving of yet more promises that fail to materialise. That’s the state we’re in

South Africa’s macroeconomic policies have not worked, yet President Cyril Ramaphosa was mute on viable alternatives at the State of the Nation address. (Jairus Mmutle/GCIS)

The ANC fails to define its own economic policy

Its position has shifted from social democracy to neoliberalism over two decades. But what is it now?

Poor score: Emissions rise from the Kriel power station. It’s South Africa’s support of coal-fired electricity that gives the country a bad climate change name. (Waldo Swiegers/Bloomberg/Getty Images)
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Sona 2021: Ramaphosa accords the climate crisis only a cursory nod

Country can’t lose sight of the threat climate change poses, President Ramaphosa says.

Schools are meant to reopen on Monday; the 2021 academic year for higher education institutions will begin only in March. (Photo: Gianluigi Guercia/AFP)

Education gets little attention in Sona, despite being badly affected by Covid

Ramaphosa says regaining learning time lost to the coronavirus pandemic will be a priority this year, but does not specify how

What’s cooking? Tito Mboweni has announced a sovereign wealth fund, but analysts have cast doubt on its viability. (David Harrison)

State can’t yet afford wealth fund

Despite the government’s announcement of a R30-billion sovereign wealth fund, analysts are questioning its utility in a time of increasing debt