The Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (Outa) has lambasted President Cyril Ramaphosa for his State of the Nation Address, describing it as “one of the longest hot air and uninspiring speeches we have heard in ages”.
Outa said the speech centred on fixing what should not have been broken in the first place – rail, ports, hospitals and more.
“Many of the plans to address municipal degradation and water security have been spoken about before, and yet nothing changes,” Outa said in a statement on Thursday night.
“For decades our towns and cities have been in decline, while these same promises have been made. How are we expected to believe a president who has not delivered in the past?"
Outa said the President spoke of Sars tackling and bringing down the illicit tobacco trade, which was “far from the truth” as more illicit cigarettes were sold than in the legal trade.
“He also promised to tackle corruption and implement the recommendations of the Zondo Commission, yet it has been three years since the final report was released and we have yet to see meaningful progress in prosecuting those responsible for the looting of billions in public funds,” Outa said.
“The National Prosecuting Authority’s Investigating Directorate Against Corruption (Idac) may have been made permanent, but where are the convictions? Where are the seized assets from corrupt officials who continue to enjoy impunity?”
Outa said The National Anti-Corruption Advisory Council programme had been developed and was waiting for the President’s endorsement and approval for over a year.
“We have heard about efforts to strengthen law enforcement, yet South Africa remains plagued by organised crime syndicates controlling key industries such as mining, construction and logistics. Despite previous commitments to crack down on illicit activities, crime cartels continue to flourish while honest businesses are extorted and citizens live in fear,” Outa said.
The President claimed that R10 billion had been recovered from state capture cases. However, Outa said this was a fraction of the estimated R500bn lost to corruption under state capture.
“The whistleblower protection framework remains incomplete, despite South Africa having lost brave individuals like Babita Deokaran, who paid the ultimate price for exposing corruption. The promise to implement a bill to address whistleblower protection is extremely long overdue,” Outa said.
It was also disappointing that little had been said about meaningful allocation of resources to upskill the criminal justice system.
“The promises of ensuring that the Idac is fully resourced and has access to the information that it needs to prosecute state capture, and of the establishment of a ‘world-class digital forensics lab’ are encouraging.”
The organisation added that year after year in the Sona the country heard about reforms in public procurement, yet contracts continued to be awarded to politically connected individuals and fraudulent tenderpreneurs.
“The Public Procurement Act has still not been effectively implemented to curb the manipulation of state contracts. Instead of ensuring transparency, government procurement remains a breeding ground for corruption.”
Outa added that while Ramaphosa said South Africa would not be bullied, likely in reference to the country’s concerns about President Donald Trump’s shake-ups of the geopolitical landscape, it was being bullied at home.
“What do you call the unchecked extortion of businesses, the violent crime syndicates holding infrastructure projects hostage, and the criminal networks siphoning billions from state coffers? South Africans are being bullied—by corruption, by crime, and by a government that refuses to act decisively,” Outa said.
“This Sona speech was unconvincing and filled with waffle, stating the obvious. It was a speech clearly written to try to be uplifting and inspirational. It fell far short of that mark.”
