South Africa’s Ramaphosa to speak about nation’s challenges

By MOGOMOTSI MAGOME
Associated Press

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — South African President Cyril Ramaphosa will Thursday outline how his government will tackle the country’s pressing problems including corruption, nationwide power cuts, high unemployment, a troubled economy and the devastating effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Ramaphosa will deliver his State of the Nation address at Cape Town City Hall instead of at the Parliament building which was gutted by fire last month. It will be the first time since South Africa’s achievement of democracy in 1994 that the address will be delivered outside the 138-year-old Parliament building. Ramaphosa is also expected to respond to a damning report that described his administration’s failures to contain violent riots which broke out in July after the imprisonment of former President Jacob Zuma.