Central SA
Free State opposition criticises Ramaphosa’s repetitive, politically timed Sona─── ZENANDE MPAME 12:39 Fri, 13 Feb 2026
Opposition parties in the Free State have criticised Cyril Ramaphosa’s 2026 Sona, accusing him of recycling old promises.
The president delivered the address during a joint sitting of the National Assembly and the National Council of Provinces in the Cape Town City Hall on Thursday (12/2). He outlined the government’s plans to invest billions in water and sanitation infrastructure and expand higher education institutions, among others.
Free State EFF provincial chairperson Mapheule Liphoko described the address as repetitive and lacking urgency. He argued many of the commitments announced have featured in previous Sona’s without producing meaningful change.
“He is like a cheating boyfriend who is caught in his own lies almost all the time,” said Liphoko. “He repeats almost everything that we already know. It is like a scratched CD.
“You can’t wait for people to be driven out of their homes in places like Mogale City and Rustenburg by illegal mine workers and only introduce soldiers in the year of elections.”
Liphoko also questioned whether the government would be able to fund some of the initiatives announced, saying the real test would come during the budget process. On unemployment, he dismissed the government’s claims of progress, describing the promised decrease as a myth.
Meanwhile, Free State DA leader Dr Roy Jankielsohn said the president spoke about collapsing infrastructure, water and electricity interruptions, and poor financial management as if it were something new. “Our residents in towns across the Free State have been struggling under ANC-run municipalities with water and other service delivery issues for more than a decade and a half,” said Jankielsohn.
“It is time that President Ramaphosa came out of his office to see what ANC cadres are doing and have done to our residents of the Free State. He speaks of administration as if this is going to be the cure for the problems in our municipalities.”
Administration with ANC cadres in charge is not the solution. We need competent people in our municipalities to fix them, and the ANC is not able to supply those competent people, he said.
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