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President Cyril Ramaphosa delivers his reply to the State of the Nation Address debate on 19 February 2026.
President Cyril Ramaphosa has taken a swipe at the Democratic Alliance, cautioning against what he describes as attempts to claim collective government achievements for party-political gain.
Speaking during his reply to the State of the Nation Address (SONA) debate this afternoon, Ramaphosa stressed that ministers serving in the Government of National Unity (GNU) must recognise that progress is the result of shared effort, not individual party branding.
He argued that many of the gains being highlighted were built on foundations laid before some leaders assumed office.
Ramaphosa insists that success within the GNU must be owned collectively rather than politicised.
“So, no minister or deputy minister should be publicly claiming their work in the GNU as an achievement of their party. In many cases, the basis for their achievements were laid before they even came into office. And in many cases, the work that we realize, that will also realize the objectives, will be the work that we do together. Our successes and our achievements are the achievements of a collective,” he explains.
Ramaphosa also reflected on the legacy of apartheid in his reply, condemning the persistent inequalities that continue to shape South African society.
He told MPs that it remains unacceptable for Black, Coloured and Indian South Africans to face fewer opportunities and deeper poverty than their White counterparts.
He stressed that such disparities are rooted in the injustices of the past.
Ramaphosa underscored that the democratic government cannot allow apartheid-era patterns of exclusion to endure, calling for renewed commitment to transformation and equality.
“It cannot be acceptable to anyone in this House for African people, Coloured people, and Indian people to be poorer and have fewer opportunities than White people. It cannot be acceptable and remembering that, that was the order of the day in the past, and it can, therefore, never, never, never, never be acceptable that, that should continue because that is what defined our life under apartheid,” says Ramaphosa.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vB_d-QKBiow
-Report by Mkhokheli Bandla
