Ramaphosa upbeat about the economy and investments as he announces measures to crack down on crime and gang violence in his State of the Nation Address
By Thobile Jiwulane:
President Cyril Ramaphosa, during SONA, 12 February 2026 (Image: SA Government)
President Cyril Ramaphosa struck an optimistic tone in his second State of the Nation Address (SONA) under the Government of National Unity (GNU), telling Parliament on Thursday evening that the multiparty coalition has made progress in stabilising the economy. He announced new measures to tackle crime and corruption, including the deployment of the army to hotspots plagued by gang violence and illegal mining.
Ramaphosa used the occasion to link present challenges with historic milestones, paying tribute to the 1956 women who marched against pass laws, the 1976 youth who resisted Afrikaans in black schools, and the adoption of South Africa’s Constitution in 1996. Re...
