Addressing The Nation

President Ramaphosa’s final weekly letter to the nation for the month of January was focused on COVID-19 and the roll out strategy for the vaccines.

President Ramaphosa stressed that the success of the rollout will depend on the partnership between the public sector, the private sector, civil society, the religious sector and traditional leaders – “It is vital that this is a society-wide campaign, in which everyone is involved and no-one is left behind”.

The first consignment will come from the Serum Institute in India - the world’s largest vaccine producer. “The first vaccines to arrive will be provided to health care workers, who will be targeted in the first phase. The second phase will include essential workers, teachers, the elderly and those with co-morbidities. The third phase will include other adults in the population.”

The arrival of the vaccine is the first glimmer of hope since the virus started spreading around the globe a year ago – and signals the recovery of the health of South Africans and the South African economy.

President Ramaphosa explains that the combination of the global demand for the vaccine, together with the buying power of developed countries, meant that the South African government had to “engage in extensive and protracted negotiations with manufacturers to secure enough vaccines to reach South Africa’s adult population”.

“We have also worked closely with the global COVAX facility and the African Union’s Vaccine Acquisition Task Team as part of the collective effort to secure vaccines for the world’s low- and middle-income countries”, he continued.

In his letter to the nation, the President reassures all South Africans that, since the onset of the virus, the government has been proactive in seeking out the best scientific advice in order to contain infections, protect the health system and prevent an even greater loss of life. As soon as the negotiations with manufacturer of the vaccine are concluded, and the nondisclosure agreements fall away, the details will be released to the public.

“We recognise that it is important that the public must be kept abreast of developments on vaccine acquisition at all times. And government must be held to account for all the decisions it makes in this regard. Freedom of speech and open public debate are cornerstones of our democracy, as is the media’s right to scrutinise and interrogate all government’s policies and decisions.

Throughout the pandemic, government has been open and transparent with the South African people on the health measures it is taking to secure our people’s safety. We have sought to explain all our decisions, to listen to people’s concerns and to continuously update the country on the state of the disease. When it comes to fighting a deadly pandemic like this, honesty and trust are just as valuable as any vaccine.”

President Ramaphosa emphasises that we are all in this together and that we each have a responsibility to build confidence in the vaccine and its vital role in overcoming the virus. He closes with a call for trust and communication:

“We have a massive task ahead of us, probably far greater than any of us has ever undertaken before.

But if we work together, if we support and trust each other and if we keep the lines of communication open, we will certainly succeed.”

President Ramaphosa’s 5th State of the Nation Address

In the October 2020 Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement, Finance Minister Tito Mboweni used the Aloe Ferox as an analogy for survival and recovery.

On February 2021, during his SONA address, President Ramaphosa continued using the symbolism of resilient flora unique to South Africa:

“Like the hardy fynbos of our native land, we too have proven to be resilient in many ways.”

President Ramaphosa was unequivocalin setting out his administration’s fourpriorities:

“We must defeat the coronavirus pandemic; that is the primary aim in all we do. And second, we must accelerate our economic recovery. Third, we must implement economic reforms to create sustainable jobs and drive inclusive growth. And finally, we must fight corruption and strengthen the state.”

The continuation of support measures, tabled by civil society and organised labour, were addressed with the President announcing the continuation of the R350 Covid-19 Support Grant for three months, and the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF)

Temporary Employee/Employer Scheme has been extended to 15 March for certain sectors. Regarding the first priority – the defeat of the coronavirus, President Ramaphosa said the first 80,000 doses of Johnson & Johnson vaccine - which has been shown to be effective against the 501Y.V2 variant - would arrive in South Africa next week and be administered to healthcare workers.

Over the next four weeks, another 500,000 vaccines will follow. Twenty million Pfizer vaccine doses will be delivered at the end of the first quarter - end of March 2021; 12 million doses have been secured from the global Covax facility. Other vaccines will be available to South Africa through the AU’s African Vaccine Acquisition Task Team facility, and there are ongoing engagements with all the vaccine manufacturers to ensure that sufficient quantities of vaccines that are suitable to South Africa’s conditions. All provinces have roll out plans in place. Addressing the second priority of economic recovery, the President emphasised the importance of localisation, citing four master plans for the clothing, chicken, vehicle and sugar sectors alongside 42 products, including edible oils, fruit concentrates and steel products, for sourcing locally. There is a renewed commitment from the state, organised labour and business to “buy local”.

On the creation of sustainable jobs, the President emphasised the social compact between the private sector and the state – while the role of the private sector will be key the public sector has a responsibility to stimulate job creation, both through its policies and through direct job creation opportunities:

“The Presidential Employment Stimulus is one of the most significant expansions of public and social employment in South Africa’s history. By the end of January 2021, over 430,000 opportunities have already been supported through the stimulus. A further 180,000 opportunities are currently in the recruitment process. These opportunities are in areas like education, arts and culture, global business services, early childhood development, and small-scale andsubsistence farming.”

Infrastructure projects and the R100-billion Infrastructure Fund will stimulate investment by the private sector. The fourth priority – fighting corruption and strengthening the state was addressed by the following:

“Advancing honesty, ethics and integrity in the public service is critical if we are to build a capable state.

“Through the National School of Government, we continue to roll out courses and training programmes

for government officials, from entry level to senior management and the Executive. In October last year, I signed off on Ministerial Performance Agreements with all Ministers, which have now been published online. This will enhance accountability and focused performance by members of the executive. We remain on course to build a capable and professional civil service that delivers on its mandate and is accountable to the South African people.”

The President closed the SONA by quoting Maya Angelou’s inspiring poem ‘I rise’.