Johannesburg – President Jacob Zuma was responding too late to some of the country’s problems, DA parliamentary leader Mmusi Maimane said on Tuesday.
“I’m concerned that President Zuma is living in one space while South Africans are living in very, very difficult space,” Maimane said after Zuma’s State of the Nation address in Parliament.

“The president had the opportunity to bring strong ideas, some very bold steps, and I didn’t see that forthcoming.”

Maimane said Zuma mentioned some of the things the DA had called for years and his response was “a bit too late”.

He said Zuma quoted initiatives from the National Development Plan and said it would take courage to implement these goals.

Zuma should have acted earlier and allowed legislation to help with energy procurement, he said.

“There could have been a lot more that the president could have done decisively and boldly; and I felt like he did not do that.”

FF Plus leader Pieter Mulder said Zuma seemed “muted” in his address.

“I experienced the president as muted a bit… [It was like] gas out of the bottle,” Mulder said.

Some positives which came out of Zuma’s address were infrastructure and corruption, Mulder said.

“Government’s job is to create infrastructure… we need that for economic growth.”

Pan Africanist Congress Leader Alton Mpheti said: “What the president said is what he said in the last State of the Nation.”

He said Zuma had reduced the number of jobs promised and brought up the issue of land claims again, but with no real solution.

“He didn’t do half the claims [promised]. I don’t know where he is taking us.”

He said Zuma was not moving the country in a better direction.

SAPA