Opinion piece by Errol Naidoo; Family Policy Institute
President Cyril Ramaphosa will deliver the 2026 State of the Nation Address (SONA) on 12 February. Since he delivered his first SONA in 2018, uttering the now infamous “New Dawn” promise, South Africa has regressed into a crime and corruption ridden mafia state.
Ramaphosa is a typical example of a positional leader that lacks the backbone to make the tough decisions needed to steer the country in the right direction. He possesses all the constitutional powers of his office but lacks the courage and conviction to act decisively.
Mpumelelo Mkhabela labels Ramaphosa’s failed presidency, “leadership by inquiries.” The SA National Defense Force (SANDF) appears to be an autonomous entity acting with impunity. In 2025, SANDF general, Rudzani Maphanywa met with Iranian Army officials without the knowledge and approval of the president. Ramaphosa did not fire him.
The SANDF ignored Ramaphosa’s orders to “rescind the invitation to Iran to participate in naval drills in SA waters.” The first excuse for this breach was that the naval drills were run by China. Which means South Africa outsourced its sovereign territorial waters to China.
Instead of using his authority as Commander in Chief of the SANDF to fire insubordinate ministers and commanders, Ramaphosa appointed the umpteenth “board of inquiry” to establish why his orders were ignored. Which proves he is afraid to make tough decisions.
To make matters worse, the SANDF promoted Solly Lechoenyo to general and commanding officer of the SANDF special forces despite being implicated in (and will soon stand trial with 11 others) for the murder of Hawks investigator, Colonel Frans Mathipa.
And while Ramaphosa attempts to create distance between SA and the murderous Iranian regime, SA declined to condemn Iran’s massacre of citizens at the UN Human Rights Council. The ANC regime also stands in solidarity with the brutal dictatorship in Cuba.
Despite the ANC’s close ties with authoritarian regimes in China, Russia, Iran, Cuba and Venezuela, it insists it respects international law and upholds human rights. The ANC’s nonsensical ideology driven foreign policy elicited a formal sanctions warning from the US.
And if the SANDF appears to be doing its own thing, the SA Police Service (SAPS) is in far worse shape. Under Ramaphosa’s presidency, SAPS was captured by organised crime and is incapable of fulfilling its mandate to combat violent crime and restore law and order.
Crime is out-of-control under Ramaphosa governance. Construction mafias, water mafias, tender mafias and street gangs rule with impunity while the president dithers. Innocent men, women and children are killed weekly in turf-war crossfire in gang-ridden townships.
The Madlanga Commission not only exposed the rot in SAPS but also proved the ANC is incapable of governing a modern democracy like South Africa. The interim Police Minister, Firoz Cachalia grimly admitted, “SAPS is not currently in a position to defeat these gangs.”
And while law abiding citizens live in daily fear of crime and violence, Ramaphosa’s government spends R3,7 billion on VIP protection for politicians and traditional leaders.
The ANC regime is constitutionally obligated to protect law abiding citizens by prosecuting and jailing criminals. However, the ANC is not a functioning and responsible government. It’s an organised crime network that exists to loot taxpayer funds to enrich corrupt cadres.
Ramaphosa’s government is also obligated to ensure citizens receive basic services like clean water. However, because of the gross mismanagement of state resources and resulting collapse of critical infrastructure, the ANC deny millions clean drinking water.
Children are dying of hunger and millions suffer from malnutrition in Ramaphosa’s South Africa. This while ANC cadres loot hundreds of billions from state coffers. More than 800 children died in SA’s chaotic public scholar transport system. No public officials were held responsible for the recent deaths of 14 school children, despite obvious state negligence.
Following 8 years of failed governance, Ramaphosa’s “New Dawn” promise is exposed for what it is. What he did deliver is State Capture 2.0. Rampant corruption and the gross mismanagement of state resources has transformed South Africa into a shadow of itself.
The ANC’s reckless policies and diplomatic failures alienated key trading partners like the US. Millions of citizens are poorer than in 1994, with unemployment above 33% and youth unemployment exceeding 60%, whilst those in power enrich themselves through corruption and tender-fraud. This misconduct has denied millions of citizens their constitutional rights.
Significantly, however, Ramaphosa’s only success is the illicit transfer of state billions to ANC cadres through fake BEE deals and tender-fraud. Despite the alarming debt to GDP ratio, SA loaned $3 billion to fund a R100 billion “Black Business Transformation Fund.”
Ramaphosa will make more promises at SONA 2026. Promises he has no intention of keeping. His primary goal is to remain in power to advance his evil agenda. That’s why citizens must fight for the survival of SA by holding politicians accountable for their crimes.
Please pray for and support my work in Family Policy Institute and “Rescue SA Civil Rights Alliance.” You can view my interview with Rob Hersov on Truth Report Here. Your prayers, partnership, and participation is critical in our battle for Faith, Family, Freedom and Justice.
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Date published: 10/02/2026
Feature images sourced and created from FreePik
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