Opinion article by Prof Sethulego Matebesi, Academic Head: Department of Sociology, University of the Free State.
As
Khoisan praise singer Ria Reen ushered in President Cyril Ramaphosa at the
State of the Nation Address (SONA) 2026, her role carried profound cultural and symbolic relevance. Traditionally, praise singers serve as custodians of history, identity, and communal values, using song and storytelling to honour leaders, recount collective struggles, and inspire unity.
The rich tradition of praise singing provides a powerful metaphor for South Africa’s ongoing journey.
Just as praise singers honour the past while inspiring the future, Ramaphosa’s SONA 2026 stands at a crossroads, inviting us to reflect on our diverse heritage and embrace the collective strength that arises from our cultural mosaic. Yet, beneath the hopeful cadence lies a complex reality that demands honest scrutiny. Are the promises of economic growth and job creation, energy security and infrastructure development, social equity and service delivery, crime reduction and safety, corruption and governance reform, and climate change and environmental sustainability truly resonating in all corners of South Africa, or do they risk becoming mere echoes among disillusioned citizenries?
Impressive strides amid governance fault lines
Ramaphosa announced that encouraging developments have been recorded over the past year, including significant improvements in energy supply resulting from intensive maintenance and operational improvements. He further highlighted economic recovery and infrastructure gains amid ongoing changes like coalition tensions and service delivery failures. The speech emphasised ‘impressive strides’ in growth investments and job opportunities while navigating the fault lines in the Government of National Unity (GNU).
Most significantly, the President’s assertion that the government is actively creating “a stronger economy and fixing the foundations that were broken” relates to South Africa achieving four consecutive quarters of GDP growth, two budget surpluses, the first in years, and inflation at its lowest in 20 years. In addition, strides have been made in combating illegal migration and strengthening border security; more than 2.5 million employment opportunities were created via the Presidential Employment Stimulus, mainly for youth and women, alongside progress in ending load shedding after three years of crisis response.
South Africans have welcomed Ramaphosa’s plan to deploy the South African Defence Force to combat illegal mining in Gauteng and gang violence in the Western Cape because these issues pose severe threats to public safety, displace communities, damage infrastructure, undermine the economy, and fuel organised crime that terrorises residents. However, the ongoing inadequate water supply crisis, exacerbated by years of municipal mismanagement, poor maintenance, and non-compliance, warrants further discussion.
Water crisis – political violation of the general duty of care
Despite being endowed with significant water resources, South Africa’s water crisis stems from persistent governance failures in the water sector, exacerbated by historical injustices, rapid population increase, poorly maintained infrastructure, and inadequate investment in upgrades. In an ideal democracy, action against political leaders in the country for the water crisis would involve swift parliamentary inquiries and South African Human Rights-led probes for those proven to have interfered in water board appointments, diverted ring-fenced funds, or ignored Blue Drop warnings, ensuring personal criminal liability under the National Water Act.
Violations of constitutional and human rights obligations, such as the provision of sufficient water under Section 27 of South Africa’s constitution, inflict profound harm, including direct threats to human dignity and economic devastation.
To understand how South Africa reached this water crisis, it is worth recalling how public institutions, including the judiciary, have been systematically weakened over the years through cadre deployment, corruption, and political interference. And history has taught us that when power protects power, justice becomes optional. When justice becomes optional, the political violation of the general duty of care (the legal and ethical obligation of state actors to act reasonably, avoid harm, and uphold the public interest) becomes normalised, inflicting broad detrimental effects on society.
A bitter irony is that, now more than ever, rather than decisive political action to address South Africa’s water crisis, massive financial pledges are being made. For instance, despite the ever-widening gap between massive public funding and actual implementation of water-related projects, pledging R156 billion in public financing for the next three years is indicative of a system that stubbornly defies the general duty of care.
Of course, state-led intervention in water infrastructure is aligned with the ideals of a developmental state. However, institutional capture, akin to the Madlanga Commission findings on justice system infiltration, shields politicians from accountability, while state officials face charges.
Until politicians bear the weight of their breached duty, Ramaphosa’s address remains a hollow echo of constitutional betrayal. Only by holding politicians accountable for breaching the general duty of care – from parched taps to unchecked crime – can SONA 2026 herald a democracy where promises as reliable as water should be