In a defiant parliamentary address, President Cyril Ramaphosa deflects blame for South Africa’s crises onto Apartheid’s legacy, sidestepping the ANC’s three decades of governance failures that have left millions jobless and infrastructure crumbling.
On July 17, 2025, President Cyril Ramaphosa addressed South Africa’s parliament for nearly 50 minutes, defending his presidency’s budget and the African National Congress (ANC)’s legacy by pinning persistent inequality, unemployment, and infrastructure decay on Apartheid’s long shadow.
Thirty-one years after the ANC took power, Ramaphosa’s focus on historical grievances over accountability for his party’s failures shows a growing disconnect with a nation desperate for jobs, reliable services, and a stable future.
Delivered during a debate on Budget Vote 1, which funds the presidency, Ramaphosa’s speech praised the Government of National Unity (GNU), a 10-party coalition formed in 2024 after the ANC lost its parliamentary majority. He highlighted achievements like 600,000 matric exam passes in 2024, 1.2 million students supported by financial aid, and an investment drive surpassing 1.2 trillion rand ($67 billion). Positioning the presidency as a strategic coordinator, not a service provider, he celebrated young MPs like Honorable Mukutu and Peterson as symbols of democratic progress. Yet, he leaned heavily on the 1930s Carnegie Report, arguing it fueled Apartheid by favoring white South Africans, creating disparities that persist today.
Opposition MPs pushed back, arguing the ANC has had ample time to address these inequities. In the debate, Freedom Front Plus MP Corné Mulder’s remarks prompted Ramaphosa’s historical rebuttal, with critics emphasizing the ANC’s failure to deliver on its 1994 promises. South Africa’s unemployment rate stands at 33%, with youth joblessness exceeding 60%, per Statistics South Africa. Water shortages, crumbling roads, and intermittent load-shedding persist, despite Ramaphosa’s claims of progress. A 2023 World Bank report confirms South Africa’s Gini coefficient of 0.63, marking it among the world’s most unequal nations. Ramaphosa acknowledged these challenges but offered no concrete solutions, proposing only a vague “national dialogue.”
The GNU, which Ramaphosa called resilient despite “many a storm,” faces questions about its stability, with frequent policy disputes among its parties undermining cohesion. The ANC’s reliance on private-sector partnerships, evident in Ramaphosa’s praise for renewable energy projects in the Northern Cape and electricity crisis interventions, highlights a failure to build a capable public sector. A 2024 Auditor-General report flagged R50 billion ($2.8 billion) in irregular government spending, pointing to entrenched mismanagement.
Ramaphosa’s argument that Apartheid-era policies, like land redistribution and better services for whites, created systemic advantages aimed to justify ongoing disparities. Yet, critics note that ANC policies, such as Black Economic Empowerment, have often enriched a connected elite while leaving most Black South Africans behind. Public trust is eroding, with recent surveys showing growing disillusionment with the ANC’s leadership compared to a decade ago.
Ramaphosa’s call for parliamentary decorum, following interruptions and points of order, urged MPs to uphold South Africa’s global image. This focus seemed out of touch with citizens facing daily struggles, unreliable water, power outages, and job scarcity, highlighting the ANC’s disconnect after 31 years in power.
Why does this matter? South Africa’s 31-year-old democracy faces a crisis of confidence. Ramaphosa’s speech celebrated an unfounded claim of constitutional protections and lacklustre youth achievements but sidestepped the ANC’s role in perpetuating inequality and failing to deliver services. With the GNU’s stability uncertain and economic woes mounting, his reliance on Apartheid’s legacy risks further alienating a weary public, threatening the vision of a united, prosperous nation.
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