The practice of making key government decisions can be traced back to pre-democracy when former president FW de Klerk made that historic announcement about the release of the late Nelson Mandela from prison and unbanning of all political parties, during his State of the Nation Address in February 1990.
On the 2nd of February 1990, former president De Klerk said: "I wish to put it plainly that the government has taken a firm decision to release Mr Mandela unconditionally. I am serious about bringing this matter to finality without delay. The government will take a decision soon on the date of his release. Unfortunately, a further short passage of time is unavoidable."
In his last Sona, February 1994, former president De Klerk announced the dates of the country's first free and fair elections (from 26 to 28 April) and urged full participation by everyone.
Late former president Nelson Mandela, in his first Sona in a democratic Parliament, made major policy changes and announcements with the main focus on nation-building under the government's Reconstruction and Reconciliation Programme (RDP).
Children under the age of six and pregnant mothers will receive free medical care in every state hospital and clinic where such need exists. Similarly, a nutritional feeding scheme will be implemented in every primary school where such need is established.
President Thabo Mbeki made it clear that RDP will continue to be the main driver for service delivery in the second democratic Parliament, when he delivered his Sona after the 1999 general elections.
"The RDP and the Growth, Employment and Redistribution Programme (Gear) were implemented by our first democratic government to achieve socio-economic transformation and macro-economic stability.
The RDP and Gear will remain the basic policy objectives of the new government to achieve sustainable growth, development and improved standards of living.
President Mbeki also announced the implementation of a rural development programme for the integrated development of the rural areas.
The rural areas of our country represent the worst concentrations of poverty. No progress can be made towards a life of human dignity for our people as a whole unless we ensure the development of these areas
Other highlights of Sona during South Africa's democratic era include the following:
Government decided that it should identify a suite of Apex Priorities on which it must focus in a special way, using these as catalysts further to accelerate progress towards the achievement of the objectives the people mandated us to pursue.
The identification of the Apex Priorities means that all three spheres of government, the national, provincial and local, at both executive and administrative levels, are hereby making the firm undertaking that we will use the short period ahead of us further to energise our advance towards the realisation of the all-important goal of a better life for all our people
The main categories of these priorities are:
- the further acceleration of our economic growth and development
- speeding up the process of building the infrastructure we need to achieve our economic and social goals
- improving the effectiveness of our interventions directed at the Second Economy, and poverty eradication
- enhancing the impact of our programmes targeting the critically important area of education and training
- accelerating our advance towards the achievement of the goal of health for all
- revamping the criminal justice system to intensify our offensive against crime
- further strengthening the machinery of government to ensure that it has the capacity to respond to our development imperatives; and
- enhancing our focus on key areas in terms of our system of international relations, with particular focus on some African issues and South-South relations.
After correcting weaknesses in our Adult Basic Education programme, which we identified last year, we shall this month launch the Kha Ri Gude (Let Us Learn) mass literacy campaign. This will include the training of master trainers who will provide basic literacy classes to 300 000 adults and youth in 2008.
President Zuma also introduced the signing of performance agreements with ministers in an effort to ensure speedy service delivery and accountability.
"Ministers who are responsible for a particular outcome, will sign a detailed delivery agreement with the President. It will outline what is to be done, how, by whom, within what time period and using what measurements and resources.
As you are aware, we are committed to five priorities: education, health, rural development and land reform, creating decent work, and fighting crime.
In addition, we will work to improve the effectiveness of local government, infrastructure development and human settlements.
In last year's Sona President Zuma announced the establishment of a One Stop Shop/Invest SA initiative which he said was "to signal that South Africa is truly open for business". We will fast-track the implementation of this service, in partnership with the private sector.
In 2015 during Sona President Zuma made key policy announcements on the economy and job creation
Our economy needs a major push forward, he said. We would like to share with you our nine point plan to ignite growth and create jobs.
These are:
- Resolving the energy challenge.
- Revitalising agriculture and the agro-processing value chain.
- Advancing beneficiation or adding value to our mineral wealth.
- More effective implementation of a higher impact Industrial Policy Action Plan.
- Encouraging private sector investment.
- Moderating workplace conflict.
- Unlocking the potential of small, medium and micro enterprises (SMMEs), cooperatives, township and rural enterprises.
- State reform and boosting the role of state-owned companies, information and communications technology (ICT) infrastructure or broadband roll-out, water, sanitation and transport infrastructure; as well as
- Operation Phakisa aimed at growing the ocean economy and other sectors.
By Sakhile Mokoena
8 February 2017
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