Ramaphosa speech must place economy at centre stage, says analyst
Political analyst Daniel Silke says President Cyril Ramaphosa's speech on Saturday should focus on policy changes and the economic crisis.
This weekend the African National Congress (ANC) will celebrate its 108th birthday in Kimberley, Northern Cape.
The formal festivities started on Wednesday as Ramaphosa delivered a keynote address at a cake-cutting ceremony in Galeshewe township.
On Saturday Ramaphosa will deliver what is known as the January 8 statement, in which he will set out the party’s plans for the year.
Silke says Ramaphosa needs to acknowledge and address the economic crisis.
"And also come to terms with how it presents and formulates economic policies in reaction to the weakness in the economy.
"I would argue that the ANC really stands before the country with the last bit of effort to move the party into 2020 and make it a modern political party, from an economic point of view, and really shed the some of the outdated philosophies that have the party back from making more market-oriented economic policies."
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Silke adds that Ramaphosa will also need to set out changes in the way business is done.
"Future business should be quite different to how business has been done in the past and not just on economic issues, but clearly issues on ethics in government, on service delivery and clearly on corruption.
"These are all issues that now require urgent attention and the president will have to show that has efficient political will and indeed political courage in order to tackle these issues and mean business and not just rhetoric."
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