SONA 2026: What political parties are expecting from Ramaphosa

Political parties have outlined what they expect President Cyril Ramaphosa to prioritise when he delivers his ninth State of the Nation Address (SONA) on Thursday, 12 February.

Ramaphosa will deliver the address at Cape Town City Hall before a joint sitting of the National Assembly and the National Council of Provinces, after Parliament was forced to relocate from its precinct following the devastating fire in 2022.

WHAT PARTIES EXPECT FROM SONA 2026

SONA is a constitutionally mandated address that sets the tone for government policy, spending priorities and legislative focus for the year ahead. It also serves as a platform for the President to account for progress made on previous commitments and to outline interventions aimed at economic growth, job creation and service delivery.

This year’s address comes at a critical political moment, as it will be the first full SONA delivered under the Government of National Unity (GNU), formed after the 2024 national elections. The GNU has repeatedly positioned itself as a stabilising force following years of political fragmentation, economic stagnation and governance failures.

Speaking outside the Cape Town City Hall, Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) spokesperson Sinawo Thambo said the party expects Ramaphosa to provide clear and measurable commitments on basic service delivery, particularly water and electricity.

Thambo accused the President of recycling promises without meaningful implementation.

“He treats every SONA like the beginning of a new term. He makes commitments and doesn’t follow up on them, only to announce new ones the following year. Where are the smart cities? Where is the bullet train? Where is the massive infrastructure development promised since 2018?” Thambo asked.

He also linked the SONA expectations to the worsening service delivery crisis in major metros such as Johannesburg.

“There is a water crisis in the City of Johannesburg. The Minister of Water and Sanitation says it’s because people are not paying, while the Premier says he showers at hotels to escape the indignity of not having water. What is the actual plan for water and electricity? Load reduction has replaced load shedding, tariffs keep increasing through NERSA, and households can barely afford to keep the lights on,” Thambo said.

GNU UNDER PRESSURE TO DELIVER

ActionSA parliamentary leader Athol Trollip said scepticism around SONA is understandable given repeated unmet commitments over the years.

“We’ve heard about smart cities, bullet trains and a university of science and technology in Ekurhuleni, yet Tintswalo is still unemployed,” Trollip said, referencing the disconnect between government promises and lived realities.

Trollip said this SONA would be an important test of whether the GNU represents a real break from past governance failures or merely a continuation under a new political arrangement.

“This is the first full year under the GNU, and South Africans expect to hear what is genuinely different. Some parties claimed this was an alternative to a coalition of doom, but we believe it has become a coalition of gloom. Millions of people remain unemployed, basic services are collapsing and local government is in distress,” he said.

The address is expected to face heightened scrutiny from opposition parties and civil society, particularly on issues of water security, electricity pricing, infrastructure investment and accountability — areas that have increasingly shaped public confidence in government performance.