IFP Spokesperson Welcomes Presidential Interventions on Crime, Water Crisis and Illegal Immigration
Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) National Spokesperson Mkhuleko Hlengwa has described President Cyril Ramaphosa’s 2026 State of the Nation Address (SONA) as delivering a “very balanced account” of South Africa’s current trajectory, praising the Government of National Unity’s first year in power while warning that significant work remains.
Speaking shortly after the address, Hlengwa said the President’s acknowledgment that the GNU had placed the country in a “better position than what it was” represented a significant admission of progress.
“Obviously, there’s still a long way to go, but it has been important to arrest the decline of the country, to ensure that the economy is stabilized,” Hlengwa said. “Now the outlook should really be about job creation, as he has said extensively.”
The IFP spokesperson singled out several priority areas where the party welcomed presidential action.
On illegal immigration, Hlengwa said the issue “continues to be a very adverse burden on the economy on opportunities for South Africans,” describing the work that needs to be done in this area as “critical.”
He also welcomed the planned deployment of the South African National Defence Force to support police services, but offered a stark assessment of the SAPS itself.
“There is a serious collapse within the SAPS,” Hlengwa said. “The president is now finding himself having to put in place quite a number of interventions before fighting crime, to first clean up the SAPS itself so that it is actually fit for purpose.”
Hlengwa described water infrastructure challenges, particularly those currently affecting the City of Johannesburg, as having reached “crisis point.” He welcomed the deployment of Minister Senzo Mchunu to address the crisis, citing his “skills and expertise at problem solving.”
The IFP called for the declaration of a national state of disaster on water to be “followed speedily with resources, skills and expertise to be plugged in within the ecosystem of government.”
“It’s all about fixing local government,” Hlengwa said. “That will be a focal point for us this year in 2026 as we try and turn things around.”