Safety, economy among Winde’s hopes from Ramaphosa’s SONA

Western Cape Premier Alan Winde wants President Cyril Ramaphosa to put safety, economic growth and job creation at the centre of his 2026 State of the Nation Address (SONA).

He said with so many South Africans facing sustained cost-of-living pressures and high unemployment, the president needs to act with urgency and decisiveness.

Winde’s party, the Democratic Alliance (DA), is the second largest party in the Government of National Unity (GNU).

“We must make sure that we are getting it right with pushing all the right buttons on enabling investment, enabling job creation so that our economy can give citizens the jobs they deserve, and the economic growth that enables people to beat the pressure that so many feel financially across the country.”

Winde said while there are encouraging signs that the economy is turning a corner, the national government is failing to address the unacceptable levels of violent crime.

He said that crime is at the heart of the government’s inability to overcome many of the country’s problems.

The Western Cape government has for years been calling for the devolution of policing powers, and Winde is not letting up on this.

“Give local law enforcement investigation powers, adequately resource the South African Police Service, and particularly Crime Intelligence, to break the back of organised crime and gangsterism across the Western Cape, but all across our country.”