President Cyril Ramaphosa has once again defended the African National Congress’s (ANC) redress policies, this time at a rally in Moruleng, North West.
Ramaphosa delivered the annual January 8 Statement on Saturday, days after the party celebrated its 114th birthday. He said black economic empowerment was under “severe” attack.
“The ANC has remained steadfast in defence of the constitutional imperative to redress past imbalances and promote the empowerment of black South Africans, women and youth. Accordingly, we will defend black economic empowerment, which has come under severe attack,” he asserted.
In recent months, the Democratic Alliance (DA) has escalated its campaign for an alternative to Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment — its very own Economic Inclusion For All Bill. It calls for an end to race-based empowerment, which it says has empowered a connected elite at the expense of the majority.
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Economy as a priority
Despite criticism for poor economic performance — the economy grew by just 0.5% in the third quarter of 2025 — Ramaphosa insisted things were changing for the better.
“After 15 years of low growth, we are seeing signs that the economy is approaching a turning point. Projections indicate that through disciplined implementation of the ANC Ten-Point Economic Action Plan, we can meet our targets on inclusion, growth and employment,” he said.”
The economic action plan, unveiled by the ANC last year, focuses on energy and freight investments, natural resources, state capacity, infrastructure, public employment programmes, support for small businesses, economic growth outside of urban centres, international trade and better budget coordination.
In the year ahead, he said, the party will prioritise service delivery, economic transformation, combatting crime and corruption, nation-building, organisational renewal and foreign policy.
Goodenough Mashego, an independent political analyst, told The Citizen that the speech was out of touch with voters.
“The statement that President Cyril Ramaphosa delivered on Saturday did not speak to the general public but to the ANC,” he said. “It needs to address voters, especially those who left the party for other parties. Instead, it was a nostalgic trip into history. I don’t think the statement was visionary.”
With a full plate at home, Ramaphosa jets off for a working visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) this week. There, he will meet his counterpart, Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and attend activities of the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week.
Image credit: Morapedi Mashashe/Daily Sun
