With President Cyril Ramaphosa’s State of the Nation Address (Sona) set to start in a few hours, various organisations and civil society groups demonstrated in the City Bowl.
Members of the South African Communist Party (SACP) gathered at Hanover Square today, calling on the government to address the challenges faced by working-class people.
Anthony Dietrich, chair of the SACP in the province, says: “The current status quo cannot continue. We have to break with what is currently the trajectory of which the government is ruling. Unemployment has increased. The crises of working-class services provided to communities are all in stress at the moment.”
In Harrington Street, members of the South Africans Against Drunk Driving (SADD), held a peaceful demonstration. The organisation was formed to fight the high rising death and injury rate on South African roads caused by drink drivers. SADD called for harsher laws, a ban on alcohol advertising and for the age of consumption to be raised to 21 years.
Caro Smit, Director of the SADD, says: “We are losing about 14 000 people on our roads each year and half of those are because of alcohol abuse. This needs to be taken seriously. We want the president to work on this.”
Roads leading to the Cape Town City Hall have been cordoned off for the event set to kick off at 19:00.
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Many South Africans have mixed emotions regarding Sona with some simply saying they are not interested in what the president has to say.
Mabhuti Ikaneng feels Ramaphosa must address the poor services at government institutions.
“He must address the services at the Labour Department and Home Affairs. I have been in the queue since 8:00 this morning. I am still not helped. I was here yesterday as well,” he says.
Susan Palagangwe says she will not be listening to the president’s speech.
“I am not interested. They are failing us. They keep making promises but continue to fail us.”
Paul de Bruin says: “He can talk about anything he wants. Look where I am sitting, at the Labour Department. I am a pensioner, I have worked all my life. Now I am sitting here, waiting for hours just to get my money. They are treating us like animals.”
