File: Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader Julius Malema (L) looks on during the first sitting of the New South African Parliament in Cape Town on June 14, 2024.
JOHANNESBURG - EFF leader Julius Malema did not hold back when he took to the podium ahead of the State of the Nation Address (SONA) debate on Tuesday.
Draped in the party's trademark red overall, Malema accused President Cyril Ramaphosa of presiding over a country in a deepening crisis, ranging from unemployment, crime and worsening water challenges.
He argued that Ramaphosa would be ending his term without tangible deliveries on the promises he made when he got into office.
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At the heart of Malema’s critiques were claims that Ramaphosa had auctioned the country’s sovereignty to the highest bidder.
He also slammed what he described as the privatisation of key state assets, including the country’s ports, railways, and energy sector, warning that water could be the next target.
Malema also shot an arrow at Ramaphosa's failure to deliver on long-promised smart cities, saying that commitment remains without a design plan.
Crime was not spared. The Red Berets' leader strongly criticised the deployment of the SANDF to support the police's fight against gang violence and illegal mining in the Western Cape and Gauteng.
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He questioned a strained and under-resourced army's ability to combat such crimes.
“We have warned you before that the army is combat-trained and is not trained to enforce laws on civilians. The scale of crime in our country cannot be dealt with by the army alone, because crime is a national crisis and a social crisis,” Malema said.
Minister in the Presidency, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, had a different view.
She pointed to Statistics South Africa’s Quarterly Labour Force Survey (QLFS) for the fourth quarter of 2025.
It shows that the number of employed individuals has increased by 44,000 to 17,1-million people.
The number of unemployed people decreased by 172, 000.
“We are not yet there, but we are solidly on the way," she said.
On the water issue, Ntshavheni reiterated that interventions are already underway.
She referenced the National Water Crisis Committee that will be established and chaired by the President.
She said work has commenced, with the Department of Water and Sanitation conducting assessments aimed at creating a water action plan, expected to be ready by mid-March 2026.