Sona: Civil society groups demand decisive leadership Ramaphosa

A group of 15 civil society organizations has called on President Cyril Ramaphosa to center this week’s State of the Nation Address (Sona) around the needs of the country’s most marginalized communities and people with low incomes.

The group which includes the Institute for Economic Justice (IEJ), Budget Justice Coalition (BJC), Children’s Institute, UCT, Corruption Watch, Equal Education, Healthy Living Alliance (HEALA), Health Justice Initiative (HJI), National Education, Health and Allied Workers and others, says Thursday’s Sona is a “watershed moment” for the country.

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NATIONAL TREASURY FAILED TO HONOUR SONA PAST COMMITMENTS, SAYS GROUP

“In recent years, we have observed that while the Sona has made certain commitments, National Treasury has either failed to resource these programmes or has deliberately cut funding to them without any accountability,” they said in an open letter to Ramaphosa.

They also said that last year, National Treasury unilaterally instructed all departments and state entities to make widespread and devastating budget cuts, which they believe prevents the realisation of socio-economic rights, hampers economic growth, and undermines the gains made through recent government interventions.

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RAMAPHOSA TO FOCUS ON GVB ROOT CAUSES, SAYS GROUP

“We call on you to hold the Minister of Finance and National Treasury to account and ensure that policy priorities will be allocated adequate funds and that the macroeconomic policy stance supports your developmental agenda,” the open letter reads.

The group also urged Ramaphosa to pay special attention to gender-based violence (GBV), urging the government to address the root causes of this “pandemic” with significant investments and targeted actions.

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‘SOCIAL GRANTS MUST KEEP UP WITH COST OF LIVING,’ GROUP TELLS RAMAPHOSA

They said social grants should align with the cost of living because many people live below the poverty line.

“For example, the Child Support Grant received a year-on-year increase of just 4.2% in April 2023, at a time when food inflation soared to over 14%. Already, there are signs that child stunting and mortality rates are rising,” they said in the letter.

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