In his first SONA as GNU leader, President Ramaphosa stressed the urgency of fixing local government failures to improve service delivery and reduce strain on Eskom and water boards.

The government introduced a new Medium-Term Development Plan (MTDP) with ambitious GDP growth targets, excluding the controversial NHI scheme, but concerns remain over execution. The upcoming National Budget will reveal the extent of structural reforms under the GNU.

Amid the SONA and the upcoming tabling of the National Budget, SA is facing scrutiny over its policies from the newly installed Trump administration.  The National Budget gives an opportunity to instil investor confidence to the extent that structural reforms are forthcoming.