We will not be bullied - Ramaphosa responds to Trump

President Cyril Ramaphosa has thrown down the gauntlet to US president Donald Trump, declaring that SA will not be bullied and will stand up for its national interests and sovereignty.

Delivering his State of the Nation Address in parliament on Thursday night Ramaphosa began his speech by directly responding to Trump’s claim that SA was confiscating land.

Earlier this week Trump, without citing evidence, said “certain classes of people” in SA were being treated "very badly" and he would cut off funding until the matter was investigated.

This came after Ramaphosa signed the Expropriation Bill into law.

“South Africa is confiscating land, and treating certain classes of people very badly,” Trump said.

Ramaphosa said there were global fundamental shifts under way that affect every aspect of human life.

"In the face of these challenges, we are witnessing the rise of nationalism and protectionism, the pursuit of narrow interests and the decline of common cause. This is the world that we, as a developing economy, must now navigate," said Ramaphosa.

"But we are not daunted. We will not be deterred. We are a resilient people. We will not be bullied. We will stand together as a united nation. We will speak with one voice in defence of our national interest, our sovereignty and our constitutional democracy."

Ramaphosa said SA stood for peace and justice, for equality and solidarity.

"We stand for non-racialism and democracy, for tolerance and compassion... We stand for our shared humanity, not for the survival of the fittest."

He expressed concern over the decision by the US to suspend funding for Aids and TB programmes in Africa. He said in SA, 17% of programmes were affected.  

Ramaphosa said for decades, the economy has been held back by the exclusion of the vast majority of the South Africans.

"Black South Africans were deprived of land, of capital, of skills, of opportunities. Our economy was starved of the potential of its people. And that is why we need to transform our economy and make it more inclusive.

"That is why our focus is on empowering black people, women and persons with disabilities because they were deliberately excluded from playing a key role in the economy of their own country. We will set up a transformation fund worth R20bn a year over the next five years to fund black-owned and small business enterprises," he said.

He said the most urgent task is to grow the economy “so that we can create jobs, reduce poverty and improve the lives of all South Africans”.

“We want a nation with a thriving economy that benefits all. To create this virtuous cycle of investment, growth and jobs, we must lift economic growth to above three percent.

“To achieve higher levels of economic growth we are undertaking massive investment in new infrastructure while upgrading and maintaining the infrastructure we have.”

Ramaphosa said the government would  fast-track the regulations of the Public Procurement Act to ensure businesses owned by women, youth and persons with disabilities receive equitable opportunities in government contracts.

He outlined the government’s priorities taking a firm stance on the challenges facing the country and announcing a raft of measures that will be taken to tackle them.

Ramaphosa said the government would spend more than R940bn on infrastructure over the next three years. This includes R375bn in spending by state-owned companies.  

"This funding will revitalise our roads and bridges, build dams and waterways, modernise our ports and airports and power our economy."

The government was investing heavily in expanding our water resources, he said. 

"Many people in our cities, towns and villages are experiencing more and more frequent water shortages as a result of failing water infrastructure. It is impossible to live without water and it is impossible for the economy to grow without water," he said.  

"We are therefore taking a series of decisive actions to resolve the water crisis, to enable our people to get water where they live, whether in townships or rural areas."

"Within the next year, we will complete the establishment of the National Water Resource Infrastructure Agency to unlock much greater investment in water projects."

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