Opposition parties on Tuesday threw cold water on President Cyril Ramaphosa’s dream of a new smart city, bullet trains and other technological advances, saying he needed to fix what was broken first.
Participating in the debate on the president’s State of the Nation Address, EFF leader Julius Malema said the realities faced by South Africans on a daily basis required Ramaphosa to move past dreams, and rather provide a clear plan of action.
“Before the much-complicated bullet train, Mr President, you need to get the Soshanguve train to work and take people to work on time,” Malema said, referring to the president experiencing a four-hour delay on a train ride.
Malema described Ramaphosa’s speech as “limited” to fighting corruption, fighting crime, “asking black people to pay for electricity and getting 10-year-olds to read to understand”.
EFF leader Julius Malema
DA leader Mmusi Maimane said Ramaphosa’s high-tech dreams rang hollow as the majority of South Africans would be left behind.
“Our priority should be to fix what is broken,” said Maimane. “We need money, we need the right people and, most importantly, we need a plan.”
Meanwhile, the report by Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane into a R500 000 donation made to Ramaphosa’s CR17 campaign was also a hot topic.
Both Maimane and Malema called on Ramaphosa to clear the air regarding the donation by Bosasa’s Gavin Watson, the man who is alleged to have bribed
officials.
This month, the Public Protector informed the president he was implicated in her investigation.
ANA