Speech by Minister in The Presidency, Ms Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, during the Debate on the State of the Nation Address 2026

Mesdames Speaker and Chairperson of National Council of Provinces
His Excellency, President Cyril Ramaphosa and Deputy President, Mashatile
Honourable members,
 
The 2026 State of the Nation Address went beyond recounting our progress and future intentions, it challenged us to act so we rise together, and that we must use strategies that have made us succeeded in the past “to fix what we must”. What made us succeed in the past, is the ability of the President to mobilise business, labour, and civil society to contribute their expertise and part, around a focused plan to resolve specific problems. This is the secret behind the success of the reform programme driven through Operation Vulindlela, colloquially known as OV, since the 6th Administration under the ANC – we cannot expropriate the Operation Vulindlela successes, Operation Vulindlela is an ANC initiative.
 
FIXING WHAT WE MUST
 
Water Crisis

On the water crisis, the President elevated the coordination of interventions to address this crisis to a National Water Crisis Committee that he will chair. The work has already commenced Mr President, the OV team with the Department of Water and Sanitation have started with the assessments towards a Water Action Plan that should be ready by mid-March 2026 and a call for technical capacity as part of mobilizing resources and expertise to support municipalities in crisis is in the works. The current draft Water Action Plan is focused on addressing immediate crisis, propelling reforms in the water sector, and unlocking investments in the municipal water infrastructure.
 
Strengthening the criminal justice system to fight against crime
 
To strengthen the criminal justice system to fight against organised crime, the President directed the State Security Agency to re-vet members of the senior management structures of the SAPS, and vet members of the Metro Police Departments. We have also commenced with work in this regard and to ensure progress, the SSA have indicated that they are prioritising the revetting of police officers and management implicated at the Madlanga Commission and in the metro police departments, they will start at the Ekurhuleni metro police department. Engagements with the SAPS on the revetting process have commenced to ensure full cooperation of affected members, and the revetting will include officers due for promotion into the SAPS sms structures. The SAPS Re-Vetting Plan will be shared with the National Commissioner of Police, the acting Minister of Police and the Joint Standing Committee of Intelligence by end February 2026.
 
Implementing Zondo Commission Recommendations 

The work under way to implement the Madlanga Commission findings is not an exception. We have not only been implementing the Zondo Commission Recommendations Action Plan which was submitted to Parliament, but we have been reporting the progress to Parliament through SCOPA. In March 2026, we will submit our 3rd progress reports to Parliament in March 2026, and the 4th report no later than June 2026. To date, 57% of the Action Plan has been implemented.
 
Streamlining Firearms Licensing Regulations

You have called on us to streamline Firearms Licensing Regulations.The National Conventional Arms Control Committee will in the month of March 2026 consider the Firearms Importation Control Regulations and consult with the Minister of Police, in line with the Firearms Control Act for purposes of streamlining licensing, possession, and trading in firearms and ammunition so that we remove fire power from the hands of criminals and strength the fight against organised crime.
 
In 2024, we made Regulations for coordination of National Intelligence for the first time in the history of our country. In 2025, we started to fully coordinate national intelligence structures through NICOC to ensure implementation of the National Intelligence Priorities to achieve national security and moved to use technology. We secured the G20 through advanced technologies including biometrics, AI and analytics, we are expanding the technology coverage towards the fight against organised crime. 

In terms of the 2019-2024 National Intelligence Priorities, national intelligence structures have identified illegal immigration as a threat to national security and therefore this year, we will strength support to Home Affairs to deal with illegal immigration not only at the ports of entry but support the labour inspectors of the Department of Employment and Labour to curb the employment of undocumented foreign nationals even  through the use of technology. 
 
CONSOLIDATING THE GAINS
 
Honourable Malema was here arguing that we have nothing to show for it. Maybe we need Economics 101, but I am baffled because I also heard Honourable Van Rooyen battling with economic data.
 
Mr President, indeed, our economy has wind in the sails.

This morning, Statistics South Africa released the fourth quarter Quarterly Labour Force Survey. Employment increased by 44 000 jobs in the fourth quarter of 2025. The number of unemployed persons decreased by 172 000 to 7,8 million during the same quarter. Official unemployment rate decreased by 0,5 of a percentage point from 31,9% in the third quarter of 2025 to 31,4% in the fourth quarter of 2025. We are not there yet, but we are solidly on course.
 
Allow me to explain why budget surpluses are important. The budget surplus assists to ensure that we pay existing debt and thus lower debt, reduces interest repayments, making more money available for infrastructure development and social programmes. It also increases economic confidence which is influences decisions about spending, investing, hiring and saving.
 
Honourable Malema argues we are privatizing the logistics sector, and many others. However, economics teaches us of the need to mobilize the best of the resources and capacity to deliver the much needed economic development and there is nothing wrong with mobilising South Africa private sector and labour. In any event, we are making progress in turning around the performance of Transnet and fixing our logistics system. The volume of goods transported by rail is increasing year on year, and the efficiency of our port terminals has improved.
 
Honourable Malema is looking for designs of the speed rail but there is separation of powers. You are a legislator, Mushavhi, the blueprints will be with the Executive. In any case, we are progressing with passenger rail transport improvements with more commuters taking the train through iStimela-as-Bantu” at a fraction of the cost, impacting their cost of living positively.
 
We make these commitments to act decisively and timeously because we are the the daughters of Sophie De Bruin, we are the granddaughters of the women of the 1956 March in whose footsteps, we tread.
 
As the Presidency, we commit to continue strengthening the coordination of government to effectively deliver on the actions articulated by the President because we are committed to serve with a purpose and we are intentional.
 
We will rise together and I rise to serve.