Parliament - South Africans needed an immediate plan on how to get the economy working and more on crime prevention, Democratic Alliance (DA) leader Mmusi Maimane said in reaction to President Cyril Ramaphosa's State of the Nation Address on Thursday.
"More than anything, we needed an immediate plan about how do we get this economy working. Sounded like all nice flowery, nice talk, nice address -- what we want to see is a job in every home," Maimane said on national television station, eNCA.
"We should have spoken more on crime. Very little about what's going to happen to ensure that our police are working much better. Very little actually from the President about making sure that people who are corrupt end up in jail. We need a better plan, we need an immediate plan."
Maimane voiced his support for newly appointed National Prosecuting Authority head, Shamila Batohi, and said he was a "big fan" of the National Director of Public Prosecutions, but said the NPA needed to be strengthened.
"I am a big fan of Shamila Batohi, I think the NPA needs to be strengthened but you know what - when we see arrests of ANC politicians, then I can see action taking place," he said.
"We can't have a new hit every State of the Nation address - a new song - whilst not dealing with the past. We should have reduced Cabinet by now, we should have actually arrested more people - these are not new allegations, action should have been taken."
Video: Sandisiwe Ntlemeza/African News Agency (ANA)
Responding to a question on the lack of disruption during the the address, Maimane said when the president puts the interests of South Africans first, he will be the first to get on board.
"But when he puts the interests of the ANC first - I will not be apart of that. And in this instance I have raised it more consistently - the President tonight should have at least made sure that his ministers who are sitting there are facing prosecution and should have been arrested.