What young public servants expect from SoNA

Every year in February, Speaker of Parliament invites the President of South Africa delivers the State of the Nation Address (SoNA) to the Joint Sitting of the National Assembly and the National Council of Provinces.

This year, President Cyril Ramaphosa will deliver the SoNA on 9 February at 19:00, at the Cape Town City Hall.

The SoNA sets out government’s key policy objectives and deliverables for the year ahead, highlights achievements, flags challenges and outlines interventions to unlock development interventions for the coming financial year.

During his address, President Ramaphosa is expected to highlight what has been achieved by the sixth administration since his last address in 2022. The SoNA is also an opportunity for government to redouble efforts to build a better future for all.

This is what young public servants would like to hear more about during the President’s address:

Reatlegile Ratlagane, an Intern in the Media Relations unit at the Department of Basic Education, says she expects to hear more on what the nation’s plans are to address the energy crisis, the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and an update on the economic recovery plan.

“I would like to hear about measures that the government together with Eskom will implement to improve the current critical condition of energy generation. Many businesses have not yet recovered from COVID-19 and many others are now closing down because of load shedding.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has contributed to a rise in poverty. I would like to know government plans on creating more job opportunities as well as helping the economy recover. In addition, I am expecting to hear about other issues such as education, safety and security and Gender-Based and Femicide (GBVF)”.

Funeka Zondo, a Communications Intern at the Department of Women, Youth and

Persons with Disabilities, expects the President to address challenges in the education sector.

“Education is one of the most significant issues in South Africa. A nation cannot advance without a well-educated population”.

Matshidiso Lemao, Media Relations Intern at the Department of Basic Education, expects the President to address the high rate of youth unemployment.

“The biggest question for me is what is government doing to come up with ways that will help drive and move the economy of the country forward post-COVID-19?

“One of the main issues that must be addressed is the instability of Eskom, we are currently witnessing small and medium-sized businesses being forced to shut down because of load shedding.

“We as the youth would also like to see more young people being absorbed into workforces without experience, so that they can grow, gain experience and learn on the job”.