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cyril ramaphosa

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President Cyril Ramaphosa recently tabled the Presidency Budget Vote for 2025/2026 before the National Assembly in Cape Town[1][2][6]. This Budget Vote outlines the 7th administration’s three strategic priorities: promoting inclusive growth, job creation, poverty reduction, and building a capable, ethical, and developmental state. Major programmes highlighted include Operation Vulindlela, the Presidential District Development Model, and the Presidential Infrastructure Coordinating Commission, reflecting efforts to implement transformative policies aimed at improving the lives of South Africans[2].

The President emphasized progress being made through targeted interventions in struggling municipalities such as eThekwini and Johannesburg. Collaborative working groups in these cities have been formed, involving local, provincial, and national officials together with business and civil society, to address urgent challenges[4].

Ramaphosa’s address coincided with heightened focus on accountability, with the tabling of departmental budgets serving as a mechanism for Parliament and the public to monitor government service delivery[2]. Following his Budget Vote address, a debate ensued, to which the President replied during a plenary sitting of the National Assembly, reaffirming commitments to job creation, education, and infrastructure improvements, while also noting achievements such as electrification, access to clean water, and record-high matriculation pass rates[3].

Security and integrity within law enforcement have also been in the spotlight. On July 13, President Ramaphosa announced the establishment of a Commission of Inquiry following serious allegations of a criminal syndicate infiltrating law enforcement and intelligence agencies. The allegations involved interference with police investigations and connections to organized crime within security structures. The President stressed the significance of these issues for national security and the rule of law[5].

In response to past state capture and corruption, Ramaphosa reported on the progress of institutional reforms and the recovery of assets linked to corruption, with the value of recovered assets reaching 11 billion rand as of March 2025. Additionally, criminal cases arising from the state capture commission are ongoing, with further billions frozen pending court outcomes[6].

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