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#SONA2017: What Zuma should have addressed

Cape Town – A snap Fin24 Twitter poll shows that many respondents expected President Jacob Zuma to focus on economic growth as his top priority during his State of the Nation Address (SONA).

Fin24 ran a Twitter poll ahead of SONA to ask users what they thought the President should focus on during his speech.

An overwhelming 38% polled said that the president’s focus should be on fighting corruption, while 33% indicated economic growth should be at the top of his list. Twenty percent said he should outline a job creation strategy, with 9% wanting him to focus on education funding. 

Some Twitter users called on Zuma to resign, saying he is unfit to be the head of state.

Zuma on Thursday however outlined a vision for a much stronger state-controlled South African economy in his speech delivered amid unprecedentedly tight security inside and outside of Parliament.

The speech, marred by a spat between ANC members and the EFF and the DA that saw the two opposition parties leaving the house, was scant on detail about South Africa’s controversial nuclear deal and the future of the troubled state-owned enterprises. 

READ: SONA: Zuma steers clear of nuclear

Zuma, however, was at pains to point out how exactly government will use every means available to it – regulation, legislation, black economic empowerment charters and the national budget – to reach its goal of a radically transformed economy in which black South Africans will have greater ownership. 

READ: Zuma sheds light on radical economic transformation 

POLL RESULTS:

USERS ALSO WEIGHED IN ON TWITTER:

Fin24 user Johan van Drimmelen said the president should invest in 'education'.

Ross Richards said the president should "sort out corruption".

Brian Kitchin said the president should resign.

Joey Naika said he should acknowledge like a man that he's unfit for the job.

After the president delivered his SONA, many South Africans felt the president failed to address key issues like the state of government-owned enterprises, which include power utility Eskom.

ALSO READ: Zuma ignores state owned entities in SONA

Eskom has been plagued by leadership woes in recent months after former public protector Thuli Madonsela's report on so-called state capture implicated the then Eskom CEO Brian Molefe as having had relations with the Gupta family. This led to Molefe's resignation after he challenged Madonsela's report.

Read Fin24's top stories trending on Twitter:
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