Why SA must act while it can

STABILITY 1S NOT ENOUGH

- NYANISO QWESHA

THE severe loadshedding of 2022-2023 seemed interminable; yet 2025 brought sustained power stability. According to the author, change is unavoidable, but the direction it takes is up to us.

(I HENK KRUGER Independent Newspapers)

FORMER President Thabo Mbeki warned that we sometimes believe today is unchanging, forgetting that tomorrow brings difference. This gentle truth feels unsettling when reflected against South Africa’s present reality.

South Africans are weary, yet increasingly hopeful. That is the layered truth as we enter 2026. Weary of unemployment figures that remain stubbornly high, hovering around 32%, with youth joblessness still exceeding 45%.

Weary of crime that, despite recent declines in murders and some violent categories, continues to claim lives and erode our sense of security.

Yet hopeful, because for much of 2025, loadshedding largely receded, a relief not seen in years, thanks to sustained improvements at Eskom and private energy investments. Hopeful, too, because the Government of National Unity (GNU), now in its second year, has delivered modest economic growth, a credit rating upgrade, and removal from the global financial grey list. In this mixed exhaustion and cautious optimism, many of us risk complacency. We have started to believe that