SoNA 2015: People’s expectations

Written by Ursula Graaff; Maselaelo Seshoti

As South Africans eagerly await President Jacob Zuma to deliver his State of the Nations Address (SoNA) on 12 Frebruary, Vuk’uzenzele caught up with a few of our readers to find out what it is that they hope the President will focus on this year.

 

Duduzile Ndlovu
Gender: Female
Age: 52
Location : KwaZulu-Natal
My expectation is for the President to announce an increase to the number of Thuthuzela centres in the country. This is the best thing the government can do because these centres provide people with a place where they can go and report abuse and receive the best professional help.

 

Lesiba Motena
Gender: Male
Age: 32
Location : Limpopo
I am personally expecting the President to highlight whether state hospitals are ready to deal with Ebola should there be an outbreak in South Africa. Secondly I would like the President to highlight government’s future plans in relation to the e-toll system.

 

Xolile Ndlovu
Gender: Female
Age: 24
Location : Kabokweni, Nelspruit
The President should give more bursaries to the children in the rural areas, some pass with flying colours but they end up sitting at home doing nothing. I believe that if the children in rural areas are provided with relevant information then they will prosper. I also think that the President should focus on the issue of teenage pregnancy. I think if there were people visiting schools in the rural areas to motivate the learners more of those learners will be encouraged to improve their lives and better their communities.

 

Naomi du Plessis
Gender: Female
Age: 53
Location : Gauteng
I would like the SoNA to focus on education because education forms the backbone of any society. South Africa needs to strengthen the education system so that we can be competitive with the rest of the world. The President must also talk about the country’s energy sector and the plans that are there to make it more stable.

 

Angus Opperman
Gender: Male
Age: 22
Location : Western Cape
I would like to see higher passing mark requirements, a bible session each day and a full sporting period. I also think homework should be kept to a minimum as children and all human beings need to lead a balanced and not a one sided lifestyle.