'ANC members having tea while the party is burning' - political analyst
Experts have raised their concerns about President Cyril Ramaphosa's ability to implement policy changes as the country continues to battle with high unemployment, a stagnant economy and failing state-owned enterprises.
Ramaphosa will deliver his State of Nation Address on Thursday where he will outline government's plans for the year.
He'll have to tread a fine line between saving the economy and saving lives.
Political analyst Ralph Mathekga says Ramaphosa's leadership has not inspired confidence in his administration.
"If we talk about the president's progress so far, it's quite bad. We are in mid-term, you mentioned that it is his fifth state of the nation and when it comes to the term in government, it's almost midterm and we are yet to decide on some of the critical issues. Jobs - there is a bloodbath when it comes to jobs, crime is out of control and people can see it for themselves.
"The pandemic actually pushed us further down because we were not ready for it. Under the normal circumstances we could not get some of the basic things done so imagine the pandemic comes.”
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Mathekga adds the divisions within the African National Congress (ANC) have spilled over, causing a conflict of interests for party and state.
"As the ANC seems to the positioned now, when you look at what's going on in the party and you look at the challenges that the president faces at this state of the nation, one says that one seems to be isolated because the party seems to be attending to something else.
"Members of the party are having tea while the party is burning."
Mathekga believes Ramaphosa is out of touch with reality.
"I thought the pandemic would create a sense of urgency for Ramaphosa, it will give him a space to manoeuvre and push through some of the other things he could not otherwise do and we have not seen that."
Watch Mathekga below:
