The surging rate of unemployment, the growing disparity between the rich and poor, gender-based violence and corruption have led to a trust deficit in the South African government.

This is according to President Cyril Ramaphosa who was in Cape Town on Tuesday, paying tribute to the late former president Nelson Mandela on his 30th anniversary of his release from prison.

Ramaphosa said that these issues that the country was grappling with threatened to reverse the gains made since democracy prevailed following Mandela’s release from his 27 years imprisonment on Robben Island.

He said that he would use his State of the Nation Address on Thursday to report on plans to deal with the issues that affect the youth, including unemployment, the killing of women and children, rooting out of corruption both in the public and private sector.

He said he would also reflect on the successes made since his election as president last year as well some of his administration’s failures and “talk frankly” on his plans for the year ahead.

“We can be proud of our achievements in entrenching the democracy that Nelson Mandela led us so ably to install, but yet there is much we can be less proud of,” Ramaphosa said.

“Millions of our people continue to live in poverty. Millions of our people, especially young people, are unemployed. The divide between the haves and the have-nots continues to widens.”

Ramaphosa said that Mandela was unwavering on his vision and promise of providing a better life for the country’s youth.

“We must intensify our efforts to make good on the promise made by Madiba and his generation of leaders to bring a better life to our people, especially young people who have come out in their numbers today and who, despite our many challenges, see this country as a place of promise and opportunity.

“Madiba advocated the empowerment of young people and the empowerment of women in all respects. Their role in decision making not only in his party - the ANC ,but in government, in society and in business,” Ramaphosa said.

Since his first Sona in February 2019, companies have committed over R360bn in new investment which will see a creation of 412,000 jobs.