The progress we have made this year gives us hope for the year ahead

Dear Fellow South African,  

We are nearing the end of another year, marked by both triumphs and struggles.  

We celebrated thirty years since the birth of our democratic nation. We reflected on the considerable progress we have made in building a constitutional order anchored on freedom, equality and human rights for all.  

We held our seventh successful, free and fair general elections since 1994. It was a landmark poll, with an unprecedented 70 political parties contesting. The election was a credit to the Independent Electoral Commission, which acquitted itself with distinction, the political parties who campaigned in a spirit of respect and tolerance, and to all South Africans who exercised their right to vote.  

The first strategic priority is to grow our economy and create jobs.

The structural reforms initiated under the sixth administration are continuing to create conditions for our economy to grow and to create jobs.

The country has had over 250 days with no load shedding. This is due to a combination of increased maintenance and generation recovery by Eskom, the addition of more capacity to the grid including from renewables, and the large-scale uptake of solar and battery energy solutions by households and businesses. The work of the National Energy Crisis Committee continues. It is working to get more power onto the grid, to expand our electricity infrastructure, to diversify the market for the benefit of consumers, and to lay the groundwork for an energy-secure future. 

There has been a significant recovery of commuter rail since theft and vandalism during the Covid pandemic nearly destroyed the network. Stations have been refurbished, new state-of-the-art trains are on the tracks, and 31 out of 40 key passenger corridors are now operational. There were 40 million commuter rail passengers in the last financial year, up from 15 million passengers the previous year.

We are making progress in the recovery of freight rail and dealing with longstanding operational challenges in our ports. We are seeing improvements at the container terminals in Durban and Cape Town, as well as with infrastructure upgrades. 

While unemployment levels remain extremely high, more South Africans are finding jobs.

The second strategic priority of this administration is to reduce poverty and tackle the high cost of living.

Consumer inflation is at a four-year low, making essential goods like fuel and most food staples more affordable. Over the past twelve months, fuel prices have come down.

Around 60% of the national budget is dedicated towards the ‘social wage’. These are the measures that reduce poverty and directly improve people’s lives. In addition to the provision of grants to vulnerable groups and unemployed people, this social wage includes subsidised housing, free basic services, no-fee schools and school nutrition. Government has been able to sustain these measures even as public finances are under severe pressure.

The third strategic priority of this administration is to strengthen the capacity of the state to deliver on its mandate.

Our efforts to improve the capacity and capability of the state to deliver on basic services continue.  

We have experienced moments of great national pride this year. Our sportsmen and women did us proud, including at the Olympics and Paralympics. Our nation’s artists hoisted our flag high on the global stage, proving themselves to be among our most valuable exports. 

The momentum we have achieved this year was marred by tragedy. The deaths of a number of children from eating contaminated foodstuffs was a great sorrow and caused deep concern. We have put a number of stringent measures in place to prevent such tragedies.

While we are making progress, we have a long way to go. The pace of economic growth is still too slow and not enough jobs are being created. Families still struggle with the high cost of living. 

While there has been some improvement in the crime statistics and there have been breakthroughs in tackling crime syndicates, crime and violence is still widespread in many communities.

Disruptions in the supply of electricity and clean water is a major problem in many municipalities. Many local councils are plagued by poor governance, limited capacity and severe financial constraints. This is affecting service delivery to our people. Strengthening local government is our key priority.

These are the challenges we are grappling with. We have identified local government as a major focus in this administration. Through initiatives like the Presidential eThekwini Working Group, we are bringing all stakeholders together to solve local problems

The progress we have made this past year and during the course of the previous administration shows that we can overcome the difficulties our country faces.

As government, business, labour and civil society, we are able to achieve a great deal when work in unison to overcome our common challenges. In the new year, we will embark on a National Dialogue that will draw together all South Africans in crafting a common vision for the country.

As the host of the G20 next year, South Africa will play an important role in addressing the challenges that many countries across the world experience. We will seek common solutions that improve the lives of all our people.

Overcoming poverty and underdevelopment, creating more jobs, and addressing societal ills like gender-based violence requires that we must all play our part, where we can. 

On many fronts, this year has been better than the last. We will build on these achievements in 2025. 

Wherever you may be this festive season, I wish you well. 

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