According to NWU political analyst Prof. Kedibone Phago, Ramaphosa must give practical steps, not just throw money into local government problems. While financial support is necessary, it is not sufficient on its own.

“The president must give a clear indication of where we are as a nation in terms of local governance, in terms of whether we continue to feed the demise of local governance or is there a meaningful plan to resuscitate local governance, not by rhetoric,” he said.

Phago highlighted systemic challenges within municipalities, noting that putting money into local government is only one part, as there are other problems in terms of capacity building and a lack of skills in local government.

Security issues must be part of Ramaphosa’s address, especially given the ongoing national discourse around crime and the Madlanga commission of inquiry into criminality and corruption within the justice system, which the president established in mid-2025. Recent events, such as threats against witnesses and heightened public concern over safety, have kept these issues in the spotlight.

“The president must bring South Africans to his confidence that he understands the problem. We are not just waiting for the outcomes of the Madlanga commission and the ad hoc committee before he takes action. He really needs to have his finger on the pulse to make sure that he acts, pays attention to issues that are unfolding, and takes action.”

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Phago acknowledged Ramaphosa’s focus on ambitious infrastructure plans, including the trillion-rand investment aimed at stimulating job creation. “We understand the transport will benefit significantly.

“The other significant part of the infrastructure would be local government, but municipalities cannot be trusted at this point in time with such huge sums of money because it is just going to go straight into the pockets of corruption.” Ramaphosa needed to reassure the public that these projects would deliver tangible value and positively impact South African lives.

Meanwhile, another NWU analyst, Prof. André Duvenhage, painted a stark picture of the political, economic, and social landscape ahead of the Sona, suggesting the address is unlikely to alter the fundamental assumptions of the current political paradigm. “My first take is that the president is going to reflect on a changing international environment. In that sense, I think the international topic is going to be important,” Duvenhage said, pointing to international conflicts and South Africa’s diplomatic positioning as likely themes.

He also expects the government of national unity and reaching political consensus on controversial issues, including international relations tensions between engagements with Western nations versus Russia, China, and others, to be a major focus of the address.

Duvenhage noted that discussions around the 2026 municipal elections will almost certainly feature in the Sona as well.

“Due to Jacob Zuma and Ramaphosa, the profile of the state of the nation address went radically down. In the past, people gave a lot of attention to these types of presentations, but under Zuma, specifically Ramaphosa, the attention to his announcements is not what it should be. It is reflecting on his style of leadership, his inability to walk the talk, and his inability to deliver on promises.”

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