'Waste of time' or 'finally facing reality' — SA weighs in on the 2022 Sona

President Cyril Ramaphosa's state of the nation address (Sona) has been met with mixed reaction from politicians and the public.

Some took to social media to share that they felt reassured by the president, while others said they were not impressed. 

Ramaphosa delivered the Sona at the Cape Town city hall on Thursday.

The president's response to skills shortages, unemployment and the government's role in creating jobs were among the points that sparked responses from social media users. 

“Last year, our unemployment rate reached its highest recorded level. Unemployment has been caused by low growth which has resulted from a long-term decline in investment,” said Ramaphosa.

He said government is working hard to provide support to businesses which will enable them to create jobs, because "we all know that government does not create jobs. Business creates jobs".

“We have been taking extraordinary measures to enable businesses to grow and create jobs alongside expanded public employment and social protection. We all know that government does not create jobs. Business creates jobs. About 80% of all the people employed in SA are employed in the private sector.”

Ramaphosa commended youth beneficiaries of the Covid-19 social relief of distress grant (SRD) who managed to create work opportunities for unemployed members in their communities. 

The grant has supported more than 10 million youth who either lost employment or could not look for work opportunities due to the pandemic.

“Mindful of the proven benefits of the grant we will extend the R350 SRD grant for one year to the end of March 2023. During this time we will engage in broad consultations and detailed technical work to identify the best options to replace this grant,” said Ramaphosa.

DA leader John Steenhuisen said Ramaphosa said the right things, but it is time for action.

“Judged by the words alone, this is a commendable Sona. But words mean nothing until you put them into action. And so we will reserve our assessment until we see movement on all these issues,” said Steenhuisen.

Here's a glimpse into the responses: