Ramaphosa faces criticism over timing of Operation Vulindlela launch amid Apartheid crimes inquiry

President Cyril Ramaphosa launched the second phase of Operation Vulindlela on Wednesday, promising bold structural reforms to address spatial inequality, dysfunctional municipalities, and digital infrastructure gaps.

But critics have questioned the timing of the announcement, suggesting the president is using the launch as a public relations exercise to distract from mounting scrutiny over what was going to be a 0.5% VAT increase. The high-profile launch, held at the Union Buildings, came just days after Ramaphosa unveiled a long-awaited commission of inquiry into apartheid-era atrocities—an announcement that has drawn both praise and political pressure.

Some commentators and civil society groups argue that the president’s renewed focus on economic reform is conveniently timed.“There’s a sense that Operation Vulindlela Phase Two is being used to manage optics,” said political analyst Nompumelelo Hlatshwayo.

“While these reforms are vital, the sequence of announcements makes it appear like the president is trying to shift focus away from the more contentious issue of apartheid accountability.”At the event, Ramaphosa presented a vision to re-engineer South Africa’s economic landscape. Central to this vision is reshaping housing and transport policies to reverse the legacy of apartheid spatial planning.“

''The structure of our cities has to change to enable people to access work,” Ramaphosa said. “We are going to undertake a comprehensive regulatory review to remove barriers to low-cost housing development and incentivise investment in urban centres.”

However, the president’s speech, rich in promises of urban renewal and improved local governance, did not mention the newly formed commission into apartheid-era crimes. That omission did not go unnoticed.

“The failure to connect past injustice with present inequality is a missed opportunity,” said Siphelele Nxasana, director at the Institute for Social Equity. “You cannot talk about spatial justice and economic transformation without addressing how these inequalities were created. The public deserves more than parallel announcements.”

Operation Vulindlela, launched in 2020, initially targeted bottlenecks in energy, water, logistics, and telecommunications. The second phase, Ramaphosa said, will focus on municipal reform, housing in inner cities, and digital access — including a new digital ID system and online services.

Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni emphasised that phase one reforms have already unlocked R500 billion in investment, with phase two expected to accelerate growth and improve service delivery.

“We are dealing with the root causes of local government underperformance,” she said.

Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana echoed this optimism, noting that the reforms would help create a more business-friendly environment.

“We must lower the cost of doing business and reduce regulatory bottlenecks,” he said.

Still, critics warn that unless the government maintains transparency and a clear timeline for both the Vulindlela reforms and the apartheid inquiry, public trust may continue to erode.“Reforms without reckoning won’t heal the country,” Nxasana added.

“You can’t bulldoze affordable housing into a broken system without first acknowledging the full extent of the damage.”