It’s easy to be cynical about the state of the nation address (Sona) and the government’s inability to deliver on the many promises it contains. And we should be, but the danger is that one overlooks signs of real progress, like President Cyril Ramaphosa’s response to the youth unemployment crisis.

I’m not talking about the 1% “top slice” that will be shaved off every department’s budget — unless Ramaphosa intends to use the resultant R20bn to extend the employment tax incentive (ETI). This youth wage subsidy is one of the few interventions that has actually increased youth employment...