By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Lawmakers gathered for a joint sitting of the National Assembly and the National Council of Provinces to debate President Cyril Ramaphosa’s State of the Nation Address (SONA) delivered last Thursday, 12 February 2026.
The parties in the government of national unity (GNU) defended the progress made since its formation, citing strong economic indicators, administrative reforms and co-ordinated security measures.
But MPs from parties outside the GNU argued that corruption, policy failure and uneven service delivery continue to define the reality of many South Africans.
Democratic Alliance (DA) leader John Steenhuisen welcomed Ramaphosa’s announcement of the army’s deployment to tackle illegal mining and gang violence but added: “We need sustained intelligence led policing, faster courts and communities empowered to partner with the law enforcement closer to the people.”
He welcomed the classification of foot and mouth disease as a national emergency, calling it a massive challenge that would require collaborative, transparent and sustained effort to resolve. The agriculture department was building a science-based facility to tackle the outbreak with a priority to secure large scale vaccines and achieve 80% vaccination of the national herd by December, Steenhuisen added.
Economic Freedom Fighters leader and MP Julius Malema accused Ramaphosa of “auctioning” the country by allowing private sector participation in the logistics sector as well as energy generation, adding: “And now you want to do the same with our water.”
The president had failed to take responsibility for the prevalence of crime and lack of job creation, infrastructure development as well as lacklustre economic growth, Malema added.
Ramaphosa’s deployment of the South African National Defence Force to crack down on illegal mining and gang violence was an admission of failure of the South African Police Service (SAPS), Malema said.
“On the deployment of the army we have no choice but to support you because you have destroyed law enforcement capacity. Our concern is how do you deploy a military which has been crippled by austerity measures to fight crime?” Malema said.
He said the country’s budget surplus was an indication of austerity by the coalition government, rather than a positive economic indicator.
ANC member and Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni highlighted the successes of Operation Vulindlela in rebuilding rail and bridge infrastructure, hailing it as a successful initiative by the party.
“You’ve also directed us that we must act to strengthen criminal justice to fight organised crime. And to do that, President, you’ve directed that the state security agency re-vet members of the senior management structures of the SAPS and vet members of the Metro police departments. We have commenced with work in this regard,” she said.
Ntshavheni said the budget surplus was proof of progress, telling fellow MPs: “The budget surplus … helps us pay down existing debt. It lowers our debt servicing costs.”
Inkatha Freedom Party leader Velenkosini Hlabisa, who is the minister of cooperative governance and traditional affairs, always touted his party’s contribution towards the government of national unity’s successes.
“The successes outlined by the president during SONA stand as a testimony to the strength of the multiparty democracy in which diverse voices are truly represented,” Hlabisa said.
He called for the redesign of the social grant system towards self-help and self-reliance and for collective action to combat gender-based violence and youth unemployment.
Athol Trollip, parliamentary leader of ActionSA, questioned why senior figures implicated in scandals have not faced prosecution and said promises of accountability lack visible consequence.
On foot-and-mouth disease, he criticised the pace of the response, stating that farmers are “literally dying for vaccines” and warned of declining confidence in the department’s capacity.
Police Minister Firoz Cachalia said: “I confirm that the national commissioner of the South African Police Service and the chief of our army met yesterday to finalise the deployment plan, which will begin in the next 10 days. And by the direction of the President, I can confirm that the deployment would include the Eastern Cape.”
This was met with applause from MPs.
Cachalia continued: ” President, this decision is appreciated in communities across our country — from Umtata in the Eastern Cape, to Philippi and Khayelitsha in the Western Cape, Gauteng, including Reiger Park and Westbury.
“We have agreed that a method of deployment should learn from past experiences in our own country as well as elsewhere, respect the respective mandates of the South African Police Service and the SANDF, as well as the Constitution, having regard to the imperative obligation to restore calm and stop the killings.”
The police minister has asked the national police commissioner to “take further steps to strengthen the anti-gang units and to deploy specialised units of the South African Police Service … for which I’m expecting a report in the next two weeks”.
Build One South Africa leader Mmusi Maimane said: “The President announced the deployment of the army to tackle gang violence and illegal mining without it being costed.
“President, if you want to send the army to the Cape Flats, R64-million; if you want to deploy [it to fight] illegal mining, it’s R140-million. So where is the money coming from, President?
“It may be unpopular to say so, honourable members, but we can send the army as a short-term measure; it will not reduce the 64 murders that take place every single day in this country.”
The cost of the deployment has not yet been confirmed.
NCC leader Fadiel Adams contrasted major infrastructure proposals with local insecurity, saying the president spoke of a bullet train “but not the bullets flying over the Cape Flats”. He argued for social intervention rather than further militarisation.
The debate continues on Wednesday at the Dome, makeshift parliament in Cape Town, used for Sona debates and national assembly sittings. Ramaphosa will respond on Thursday.