“I’ve listened to the State of the Nation Address for multiple years, and each year, the speech remains the same, and the structuring of the speech remains the same. Each year we listen to the successes of the government, successes which are painted through the lens of the one delivering the speech but are not highlighted through the lens of people on the ground.”

So said anti-racism activist Zulaikha Patel in response to President Cyril Ramaphosa’s State of the Nation Address (Sona) on Thursday, 8 February.

Ramaphosa took the stage at City Hall in Cape Town on Thursday and delivered the final Sona of the sixth administration. In a bid to highlight the successes of the ANC-led government since 1994, Ramaphosa weaved a tale of “democracy’s child”, Tintswalo, whose life had been improved by the ruling party.

“The story of the first 30 years of our democracy can be best told through the life of a child called Tintswalo, born at the dawn of freedom in 1994. Tintswalo – democracy’s child – grew up in a society that was worlds apart from the South Africa of her parents, grandparents and great-grandparents. She grew up in a society governed by a constitution rooted in equality, the rule of law, and affirmation of the inherent dignity of every citizen,” Ramaphosa said.

Ramaphosa highlighted how Tintswalo grew up in an RDP house provided by the state and with access to water and electricity; how the child of democracy had access to free healthcare, went to schools where her parents did not have to pay fees and received a nutritious meal as part of a school feeding programme.

“With this support, Tintswalo – democracy’s child – was able to complete high school. Through the assistance of the National Student Financial Aid Scheme, Tintswalo attended one of our TVET colleges and obtained a qualification. When Tintswalo entered the world of work, she was able to progress and thrive with the support of the state’s employment equity and black economic empowerment policies,” Ramaphosa added.

While the story was meant to be inspiring, young activists from across the country have criticised the president for being out of touch with the lived realities of the youth, many of whom find it challenging to finish school, find jobs, access opportunities and create a better future for themselves.

Read more in Daily Maverick: Five key takeaways from Ramaphosa’s State of the Nation Address

‘Divorced from reality’

President Cyril Ramaphosa delivers the 2024 State of the Nation address at Cape Town City Hall on 8 February 2024. (Photo: Esa Alexander/Pool/EPA-EFE)

Speaking to Daily Maverick, anti-racism activist Zulaikha Patel analysed Ramaphosa’s Tintswalo tale, which she said was divorced from reality.

“In his address, Ramaphosa says the story of our democracy can best be told through the story of Tintswalo, born at the dawn of freedom. The examples he gives are totally divorced from the reality of the young black majority born at the dawn of democracy,” Patel said.

Dissecting the Tintswalo story, Patel said that Ramaphosa’s examples of the child of democracy receiving free secondary schooling, being fed through a food scheme, obtaining a higher education through National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) funding and securing a job through BEE policies were out of touch with the challenges facing young people today. 

“Firstly, there are a number of communities that are struggling with food insecurity. Sure, learners are able to go to school and receive a meal, but in their homes, people are hungry because of poverty. Fees Must Fall exposed how the majority of young people in this country cannot access higher education because of financial exclusion. The actual reality of your Tinstwalos is that even when they matriculate, they remain part of young people who are not in any form of employment or training.” 

Turning to NSFAS, Patel added that while the scheme had allowed many young people to attend university, the system was largely inefficient.

“A lot of people don’t qualify for the financial aid, and there’s another percentage that has gone up since of students who are going to be excluded and cut off from funding, which just shows the Tintswalo story totally divorced from the picture which he paints.”

Touching on Ramaphosa’s claim that Tintswalo grew up in a government-subsidised house with access to water and electricity, Patel said it ignored the situation in many townships and rural areas across the country.

“We still have townships and rural communities who don’t have access to water and still use the bucket system. Take Kliptown, for example. The area is historically famous for being where the Freedom Charter was drafted, but to date, Kliptown operates on a bucket system and does not have access to running water. This is not the reality he painted when he told the Tintswalo story last night,” Patel said.

While the young activist acknowledged that many great strides had been made since 1994, the remnants of the oppressive apartheid regime could still be felt today.

“We have made great strides, but the reality is the strides are not enough. Ramaphosa said that Tintswalo grew up in a world completely different from that of her parents and grandparents, but what about the spatial apartheid that is still evident when you look from Sandton to Alexandra?” Patel asked.

Read more in Daily Maverick: Ramaphosa’s electioneering and listicles of government achievements leave opposition cold

Voices of the youth

Unemployed graduates from KwaZulu-Natal and Pretoria march on the Union Buildings in Pretoria to hand over a memorandum to officials demanding that the government find solutions to rising unemployment. In response to Sona 2024, youth activists say many youth today cannot access tertiary education let alone find jobs. (Photo: Phill Magakoe/Gallo Images)

Freelance journalist and political commentator Ayanda Sishi Wigzell told Daily Maverick that Ramaphosa’s Sona was incredibly disrespectful to the plight of ordinary South Africans. 

“Using a figment of their imagination to paint a good story of South Africa in the form of Tintswalo is an insult to poor people. It’s an insult to people who have no bootstraps to pick themselves up because of the corruption of the elites in power,” Wigzell said.

The young journalist said that Ramaphosa touted the successes of the ANC-led government as though they had reached every young person in need when, in reality, this was not the case. 

“There are many who have been left behind. Let’s start with food. There are children in the Eastern Cape who are dying of hunger. The feeding schemes in schools are riddled with corruption, which led to the feeding scheme collapsing in KZN. Where does he get the audacity to speak about children going to bed with full stomachs?” Wigzell asked.

Ekta Somera, a youth activist and member of the Youth Capital network, said that while Ramaphosa’s address deeply inspired her, she was also left deeply disappointed. 

“There is a great sense of pride in recollecting our resilience as South Africans. We have accomplished remarkable things in unity. However, it is difficult to ignore the challenges we still face each day,” Somera said.

“The future of our country is rooted in the many young people who long to develop their skills, secure a job and earn an income, yet they remain unemployed despite the government’s attempts to address this challenge. We are building on the success of our past, but I am not convinced that our future is looking up from the state of our present.”

Another young activist, Nuraan Mitchell, said that while she appreciated Ramaphosa for expressing his admiration for the nation’s youth, in reality, the youth had a lack of opportunities and support, which was disheartening to see.

“Many young people are struggling to stay in school due to financial constraints and a lack of resources. Those who manage to reach university often face similar challenges, with insufficient funding and inadequate support systems hindering their progress. Even upon graduation, they are met with a job market that demands experience they are unable to attain without prior employment,” Mitchell said.

Expressing disappointment about Ramaphosa’s lack of solutions to youth issues, Patel said she would like to see more from the Sona.

“The Sona needs to become more solutions- and accountability-oriented instead of just highlighting the government’s successes. I believe for the government actually to be successful, it needs to be accountable for its failures. I want to hear more accountability for failures of the past 30 years and accountability in terms of addressing those failures. I want to hear solutions because you can’t just have accountability. Accountability needs to coexist with solutions.” DM