President Cyril Ramaphosa made several key pronouncements in his State of the Nation Address in Parliament on Thursday, including the revamping of the State Security Agency, as well as the development of a new directorate in the office of the National Director of Public Prosecutions to deal with serious corruption.
He also announced 8 May as the set date for the national elections.
Karima Brown was outside Parliament to get reaction from several MPs and analysts on the vast issues discussed in his speech.
Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Lindiwe Sisulu says the president's focus on revamping the country's intelligence may not be worth anything unless those who make up the agency are retrained.
I would like to have heard the president insisting that there must be compulsory retraining of all intelligence agencies so that we don't get to the point that we were at.
— Lindiwe Sisulu, Minister of International Relations and Cooperation
Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga says she is encouraged by Ramaphosa's interventions.
Speaking on her portfolio, Motshekga says improving the system is a long term investment.
If we have to improve our system and ramp it adequately, we have to start where it starts, at the foundation phase and that is a long term investment.
— Angie Motshekga, Minister of Basic Education
President of the Black Business Council, Sandile Zungu says Ramaphosa seems confident.
It inspired us as black business. One thing that really would have impressed us is the detail to which he is going in terms of his fight against corruption. On the matter of employment creation, it is small to medium enterprises who will create jobs so when the president talks about revitalising those industrial zones of old, it sends the message that he is taking this task of using SMMEs as engines of employment creation, very seriously.
— Sandile Zungu, President - Black Business Council
On the the issue of corruption and recent arrests in the Bosasa saga Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi says he would like to see more arrests.
Even in health, I want arrests to start happening not in the next month but in the next two weeks. I want to see some people arrested who are defrauding the healthcare system in an unimaginable way.
— Aaron Mostoaledi, Health Minister
Click on the link below to hear their reactions and more....
This article first appeared on 702 : [LISTEN] #SONA2019 MPs react to Ramaphosa's address
