SONA 2026: Durban Residents Demand Action as Parties Pile Pressure on Ramaphosa Over Jobs, Crime and Cost of Living

While President Cyril Ramaphosa is likely finalising his address ahead of today’s 2026 State of the Nation Address (SONA), some Durban residents and political parties have been sharing their wish list of demands, with education, the economy, housing and crime all being top of mind.

Some Durbanites interviewed by the Daily News demanded concrete action rather than promises.

Nyaniso Msiya, originally from uMzimkhulu but now based in Durban, said there is too much talking and planning, with little implementation.

“I would like the President to give a clear plan on what he is willing to do to ensure that existing policies are actioned."

He said the authorities continue to introduce policies and new projects, but little materialised.

“The President once mentioned something about a smart city or something like that, but there is nothing visible," said Msiya.

Natasha Chetty, who works in the Musgrave area, said she wants the President to address the issue of basic salaries as the cost of living has become unbearable.

“My expectation is that our basic salaries could increase because our food and living expenses keep going higher and higher, which makes it difficult for us to manage. We have to work twice as hard to survive,” said Chetty.

Another resident, who asked not to be named by the publication, said the government should reduce imports.

“The biggest thing here is not the lack of jobs, but it is the lack of creating the work. Stop the imports. When you importing stuff, it is a finished product, it goes from one point to another, and that's it,” he said.

Politicians also weighed in with their demands.

The uMkhonto weSizwe Party's acting parliamentary leader, Des van Rooyen, said hat every year promises were made, but there's no delivery.

“Instead, we see the opposite. If you look at the targets of our National Development Plan (NDP), I don't think anyone still remembers those targets, and we are left with five years for that plan to reach its target by 2030.

“What is our plan to tackle the stagnant economy, and the growth of the economy? There's no plan. We only hear people speaking in silos about what their departments,” Van Rooyen said.

“And worsening the situation now is this so-called GNU government that doesn't even agree on a single thing. Truly speaking, we're not naive to come out and say we're expecting something positive out of this SONA.

“We're not optimistic, and we base our scepticism on facts. Because the root of the matter is that the GNU government is not a proper government,” Van Rooyen said.

“The GNU government is not a government that advocates for the poorest of our people. The GNU government is there for the elite,” he said.

As a party in the Government of National Unity, the DA were quick to share their “very high expectations”, wanting the president to deliver reforms and actions, not plans and proposals.

The DA said that they expect the president to review and replace BEE as “foreign investors simply do not invest in South Africa when they have to give up part of their ownership”.

They also want him to:

• Unlock ports and rail immediately to private operator concessions, not just private users. End Transnet’s monopoly; it is a bankrupt entity ruining our rail network.⁠
• Outlaw Cadre Deployment, immediately, and set South Africa on an unstoppable course to merit-based, non-political appointments.⁠
• Devolve Policing Powers.
• End the culture of waste across government by making accounting officers personally liable for local government spending that fails the annual audit.
• Ring-fence Power and Water revenue in local governments, so that water and electricity payments by residents fund water and electricity infrastructure.
• Undo the backtrack on breaking Eskom’s monopoly as the privatisation of parts of Eskom’s grid, under the unbundling, "was a very positive move to stabilise electricity supply".

The DA said that these reforms are essential to set South Africa’s economy on a path to create jobs and prosperity. They expect that the president will not announce any of the job-killing and destructive programmes “which have been on the table from the ANC, but against which the DA strongly objects” such as the NHI and Transformation Fund.

BOSA Leader Dr Mmusi Maimane MP said this year is “our Zero Hour”.

“It is Zero Hour for defeating the criminal state. Citizens are alarmed by mounting evidence that criminal networks have embedded themselves in key institutions of the state. The Madlanga Commission has revealed how criminality has captured parts of government and compromised the criminal justice system itself,” Maimane said.

“This follows years of State Capture, yet still accountability remains absent. South Africa cannot continue as a consequence-free society.”

He said that with nearly 80 murders and over 130 rapes every day, crime is both a safety issue and an economic issue.

“We therefore reiterate our call for Ramaphosa to use this SONA to announce the immediate removal of Senzo Mchunu and the appointment of a permanent Police Minister who is demonstrably tough on crime,” Maimane said.

“This SONA is Zero Hour for job creation and economic growth. With an expanded unemployment rate of 42.4% and 11.5 million South Africans without work, economic recovery is mission-critical.

He added that it is ‘Zero Hour’ growing the economy at 4–5%, for improving education, a more effective cabinet, and for a reset in our politics, policy, and governance.

GOOD Secretary-General, Brett Herron, outlined their “BIG 4” priorities as education, criminal justice, housing and economic growth, human rights and national security.

“Until the State meets its Constitutional obligations to provide for the basic needs of the poor through a proper Basic Income Grant, South Africa remains vulnerable to insurrection. The new official food poverty line for 2026 is R855 a month,” Herron said.

Herron added that political interference in prosecutorial decision-making and a well-funded “Stalingrad” legal defence strategy have derailed the State’s ability to dispense justice.

He added that “the housing crisis is a deepening national disaster”.

The Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) has meanwhile highlighted rural safety, economic growth, youth unemployment in rural areas, energy and infrastructure development, rural water security, as well as the persistent challenges of crime and Gender-Based Violence and Femicide (GBVF).

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