FREE SA Responds to the 2025 State of the Nation Address: More Promises, No Real Reform

• Government's focus on more regulations and frameworks ignores the real issue of accountability in local government, failing to address service delivery collapse.
• The president’s emphasis on state-centric policies and refusal to privatise SOEs continues to stifle economic growth and perpetuate inefficiency.
• Public employment programmes and growing welfare dependence reflect the government’s misunderstanding of job creation, failing to support a thriving private sector.

President Cyril Ramaphosa’s 2025 State of the Nation Address (SONA) has once again reinforced a troubling reality: government is committed to repeating the same failed policies while ignoring the structural reforms necessary to rescue South Africa from economic stagnation, governance failures, and declining public trust.  

No Real Commitment to Local Government Accountability

The announcement of a new White Paper on Local Government and additional regulation for municipalities misses the point entirely. The problem in local government is not a lack of regulation—it is a lack of accountability.

More policies and frameworks will not fix the collapse of service delivery. Without direct consequences for corruption and mismanagement, these proposals amount to mere window dressing.  

State-Centric Policies Will Continue to Stifle Economic Growth

The president’s emphasis on Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) for infrastructure investment sounds promising, but without a serious commitment to privatisation, these partnerships will likely face the same bureaucratic inertia that has hindered past initiatives.

The continued refusal to privatise failing state-owned enterprises (SOEs), even as a new SOE Reform Unit is created, proves that government is more interested in protecting ideological sacred cows than in pursuing real economic growth.  

This is further evidenced by the announcement of a R20 billion "Transformation Fund," another repetition of failed redistribution policies rather than the market-friendly reforms needed to create sustainable jobs and investment. Meanwhile, the fast-tracking of the Public Procurement Act will only worsen the inefficiencies and corruption already rampant in state contracts.  

Unemployment Crisis: Government Still Refuses to Get Out of the Way

The president once again presented public employment programmes as a solution to joblessness, ignoring the reality that real job creation comes from a thriving private sector—not more government-run initiatives.

The notion that government must “create jobs” rather than enable businesses to do so is a fundamental misunderstanding of how economies grow. Instead of reducing red tape, easing labour laws, and encouraging entrepreneurship, government remains fixated on expanding its own role in employment.  

Likewise, President Ramaphosa’s statement that over 28 million people receive social assistance was framed as an achievement. This should not be a point of pride, but rather a wake-up call that economic policies have failed to lift people out of dependence on the state. A growing welfare state is not a sign of progress—it is a sign of stagnation.  

The Expropriation Act and NHI: Government Ignores the 2024 Election Message

The president’s continued commitment to the Expropriation Act and the National Health Insurance (NHI) scheme shows a complete disregard for the clear message sent by voters in the 2024 election. The ruling party no longer has a majority, yet it continues to push ahead with its ideological agenda as if nothing has changed. The National Health Insurance plan, which begins with a central patient database, is a first step toward economic and medical disaster. 

Meanwhile, Ramaphosa's reference to the Basic Education Laws Amendment (BELA) Act as an “achievement” is concerning. We reiterate our call for the Minister of Basic Education to adopt our proposed regulations to ensure that BELA does not erode the role of school governing bodies or centralise power in ways that harm education outcomes.  

Ignoring the Real Issues

While the president mentioned plans to expand water resources, his address lacked meaningful solutions to the country’s worsening water crisis. Vague references to new dams and tightened water license standards do not address the urgency of failing water infrastructure and supply shortages.  

Additionally, there was no mention of policing devolution—one of the most pressing issues in the fight against crime. The centralisation of policing has failed, and without empowering provincial and municipal authorities to manage their own security, violent crime will continue to spiral out of control.  

A Speech Full of Promises, but No Structural Reform

At its core, this year’s SONA was yet another list of promises that fail to address South Africa’s structural economic and governance crises. The government continues to believe that more centralisation, more state intervention, and more regulation will solve our problems. Only real reform—privatisation, deregulation, decentralisation, and the protection of property rights—can turn the country around.  

South Africa does not need more state control. It needs a government that enables citizens and businesses to thrive. Unfortunately, President Ramaphosa’s addresses shows that his administration still refuses to take this necessary path.
 
It’s quite clear that if we want to see change in South Africa, it will have to come from the people. Free SA therefore urges South Africans to keep making their voices heard by opposing failed policy agendas and legislation and to keep using their vote to usher in the reform that our country needs so much.

About FREE SA:

At the Foundation for Rights of Expression and Equality (Free SA) we are committed to empowering South Africans to have their voices heard. 

In a true democracy, every opinion counts, and we ensure your voice resonates where it matters most: in Parliament, in public policy, and in the laws that shape our country.  From advocating for democracy and equality to holding the government to account, we stand with you to demand transparent, responsive, and fair governance that serves its people.

To learn more, visit: https://www.freesa.org.za/

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