STILFONTEIN - As President Cyril Ramaphosa polishes the final lines of his State of the Nation Address (SONA) and prepares to step onto the red carpet at Cape Town City Hall, another reality is unfolding in Khuma, Stilfontein, in the North West.
Roads have been barricaded with stones and burning tyres as frustrated residents demand better service delivery, investment, and job creation.
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The community says it has repeatedly raised concerns with local authorities, but today they want Ramaphosa to address unemployment and service delivery issues.
One resident said this SONA cannot be about promises; it must be about practical, measurable plans -- that, they said, would bring justice to the Khuma area.
Meanwhile, South African National Civic Organisation (SANCO) North West spokesperson Mzukisi Jam says the country’s “scary levels” of unemployment have deepened poverty.
He argues that unemployment continues to fuel a range of social ills, including crime, and notes that while various solutions have been proposed, none have worked.