SONA 2026 Archives

By Special Correspondent: President Cyril Ramaphosa. (Image: Northern Cape Government website) The National African Federated Chamber of Commerce and Industry (NAFCOC) has welcomed President Cyril Ramaphosa’s announcement of expanded funding for small businesses, calling it a vital intervention at a precarious economic moment. Delivering his 2026 State of the Nation Address (SONA), Ramaphosa unveiled a R2.5‑billion initiative to boost job creation and industrialisation. The plan will provide direct funding to about 180,000 Small, Medium and Micro Enterprises (SMMEs), alongside R1‑billion in guarantees to unlock further financing. Priority will be given to women‑ and youth‑led enterprises, with additional support for supplier development programmes tied to manufactu...

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...

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Tag: SONA 2026

NAFCOC hails Ramaphosa’s R2.5bn SMME package as ‘long overdue’ and a vital intervention

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