The President of the Republic of South Africa, Cyril Ramaphosa, today highlighted the country's “strong” economic growth in three decades of democracy and promised to end electricity cuts, speaking in his State of the Nation address.

“We have transformed the lives of millions of South Africans by creating access to the most basic needs and opportunities that never existed for these people in the past,” he said.

Addressing the State of the Nation at Parliament in Cape Town, the legislative capital of South Africa, Cyril Ramaphosa highlighted that in these decades;

“More than a million young people have been placed in schools as teacher assistants.”

“It is not enough to recognize the injustices of the past, we must correct them.”

“Employment opportunities have been created for black people and women,” said Cyril Ramaphosa.

Regarding the electricity crisis that South Africans face with daily 12-hour blackouts, President Cyril Ramaphosa promised “innovative investment models” in the electricity transmission network.

“We are confident that the worst is over and that the end of load shedding is in sight,” said Cyril Ramaphosa.

In a speech, apparently aimed at his provincial electoral base, the head of state, who is also president of the African National Congress (ANC), the party in power, highlighted that the vote of Nelson Mandela, the historic President, in 1994 it meant “the beginning of a new era” for the African country.

“The Constitution has guided our collective efforts over the last three decades to improve our country”, he highlighted, with the rejection of “the tyranny of 'apartheid' and the construction of a democratic State based on the will of the people”.

Cyril Ramaphosa reaffirmed that in recent decades the country has recorded “strong economic growth” and “accelerated job creation” that will produce “fruitful results” in the future for the country’s economy.

The South African leader highlighted gender-based violence, major public corruption – several members of his executive were mentioned in the report of the 'Zondo' commission investigating public corruption under former president Jacob Zuma -, and more recently the epidemic of covid-19 as the main challenges in the last five years of office.

The 2024 State of the Nation address took place at Cape Town City Hall.

This is the last State of the Nation of the VI Administration of the ANC Government, in power since the end of the 'apartheid' regime in 1994, and the third after the fire that partially destroyed Parliament in 2022.

Before the start of the head of state's intervention, the president of the South African Parliament Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, where the ANC holds a majority, read the new parliamentary code introduced this week that prevents any member of parliament from interrupting the President of the Republic when deliver the speech on the State of the Nation.

The start of the ceremonies at the National Assembly, budgeted at at least 6,5 million rand (318 thousand euros), was preceded by military honors from the South African National Defense Force (SANDF) in front of more than 400 guests.

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