A tense exchange occurred between President Cyril Ramaphosa and EFF member Naledi Chirwa during a recent address. Chirwa presented a series of statistics, highlighting the country’s struggles with poverty, unemployment, violence against women and children, murders, and femicide.
Chirwa stated, “Mr. President, there were fewer people living in poverty before you became president. There were fewer people unemployed, fewer instances of violence against women and children, fewer murders, and fewer cases of femicide. Poverty has worsened in South Africa since you became president. Whose poverty are you referring to?”
In response, President Ramaphosa acknowledged Chirwa’s statistical prowess but questioned the accuracy of her data. “I’ve listened to the honorable member a few times, and one thing she’s really good at is having a statistically driven mind. She’s very good at regurgitating statistics. However, some of the statistics she put forward are a bit skewed and flawed.”
