ActionSA and the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) have condemned President Cyril Ramaphosa’s Monday night declaration of an extra public holiday for December 15, describing the decision as opportunistic and disconcerting.

Ramaphosa’s speech was intended to celebrate the Springbok rugby team’s victory at the 2023 Rugby World Cup in France. 

ActionSA claims the President fears a possible public fallout from sharp budget cuts required in Wednesday’s Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement (MTBPS). 

“ActionSA reiterates that the incredibly difficult financial situation in which the country finds itself is a product of the harmful legacy that President Ramaphosa and the ruling party will leave the country in. Ramaphosa and the ruling party should, therefore, not again seek to place the burden on the South African people who are already overburdened by the deepening cost-of-living crisis,” said ActionSA president Herman Mashaba.

He called for the urgent stabilisation of the economy by increasing competition in electricity generation and transportation operations and reversing the breakdown in the rule of law by increasing prison sentences and deploying additional police personnel.

The EFF has highlighted that the public holiday intended for December 15 already fell within the holiday period in South Africa where the majority of schools and labour-intensive industries are closed and concluded its criticism of Ramaphosa by asserting that he had “taken advantage” of the Springboks victory to promote himself and the African National Congress (ANC). 

“Ramaphosa has in a typical fashion tried to ride the wave of the Springboks' victory and has now expressed himself as an opportunist who uses sporting moments to promote himself and the ANC, by placing themselves at the centre of a sporting victory with lies,” said EFF spokesperson Sinawo Tambo.