South Africa leader in national speech looks toward election

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa in his State of the Nation address said Thursday the country had begun to recover from "a period of uncertainty and a loss of confidence and trust" under his scandal-ridden successor.

His speech to parliament comes three months before national elections that are seen by many as a referendum on his ruling African National Congress party.

Ramaphosa, who came to power a year ago after former President Jacob Zuma was ousted by the ANC, has promised to revive South Africa's flagging economy and tackle deep-seated corruption.

South African President, Cyril Ramaphosa and his wife, Tshepo, arrive at parliament in Cape Town, South Africa, Thursday, Feb. 7, 2019 for the State Of The Nation address. Ramaphosa is set to give his second address to parliament just months before national elections seen by many as a referendum on his ruling African National Congress party. (Mike Hutchings, Pool via AP)

He said that in 2019 his government would focus on five key tasks: speeding up inclusive growth, improving the education system, improving the lives of poor South Africans, stepping up the fight against corruption and strengthening the state.

This year, the 25th year since the end of white minority rule, South Africa should reflect on "whether we have built a society in which all South Africans, equally and without exception, enjoy their inalienable rights to life, liberty and dignity," he told lawmakers.

After he took office, South Africans experienced a rare wave of optimism, sometimes referred to as "Ramaphoria," following an era of bruising national politics but many have once again grown weary of the nation's rampant unemployment, crime and corruption.

South African President, Cyril Ramaphosa, left, and speaker of the house, Baleka Mbete, right, arrive at parliament, behind a statue of Nelson Mandela, in Cape Town, South Africa, Thursday, Feb. 7, 2019 for the State Of The Nation address. Ramaphosa is set to give his second address to parliament just months before national elections seen by many as a referendum on his ruling African National Congress party. (Mike Hutchings, Pool via AP)

This disillusionment with the ANC may be a crucial factor in the elections in May.

"We need to recognize that things are getting progressively worse for us, and we have to acknowledge that the reason they're getting worse is the ANC," Mmusi Maimane, leader of the Democratic Alliance, the main opposition party, said in his "alternate" State of the Nation address.

The left-wing Economic Freedom Fighters, a small but influential opposition party that has disrupted the speech in past years, threatened to interrupt the address again unless Ramaphosa addressed a political donation he received from a company embroiled in a corruption scandal.

South African President, Cyril Ramaphosa, center, takes the national salute at parliament in Cape Town, South Africa, Thursday, Feb. 7, 2019 for the State Of The Nation address. Ramaphosa is set to give his second address to parliament just months before national elections seen by many as a referendum on his ruling African National Congress party. (Mike Hutchings, Pool via AP)

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South African President, Cyril Ramaphosa, center, takes the national salute at parliament in Cape Town, South Africa, Thursday, Feb. 7, 2019 for the State Of The Nation address. Ramaphosa is set to give his second address to parliament just months before national elections seen by many as a referendum on his ruling African National Congress party. (Mike Hutchings, Pool via AP)

TOKYO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan 12, 2026--

NIPPON KINZOKU CO., LTD. (TOKYO: 5491) (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo) has commenced the full-scale deployment of its "Eco-Product" lineup, comprised of products manufactured using its proprietary "Composite Metal Forming Technology," which is based on the long-cultivated precision profile-rolled products, "Fine Profile."

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260112730478/en/

By utilizing this technology that enables processing close to the final product shape, we will contribute to our customers' process shortening and material yield improvement, aiming to reduce environmental impact across the entire supply chain and realize a carbon-neutral society.

Background and Purpose of Development

In recent years, the manufacturing industry faces the urgent challenge of reducing both costs and environmental impact. Particularly in metal component processing, material waste and energy consumption during manufacturing processes have been major issues. Against this backdrop, our company has been developing and enhancing our unique “Composite Metal Forming Technology” by combining the diverse metal processing technologies.

Features of Composite Metal Forming Technology

Achieving complex cross-sectional shapes and significantly reducing material loss
Based on our “Fine Profile”, we efficiently shape them into near-final shapes within our own factory by combining processing technologies such as roll forming and pressing. This minimizes customer machining, improves material yield, and contributes to waste reduction.

Elimination of customer manufacturing processes and increased productivity.
By handling all subsequent processes, such as press forming and sheet metal fabrication, that customers previously arranged, we can deliver components. This significantly shortens your manufacturing process, improving productivity while reducing the energy consumption and CO₂ emissions associated with transportation and storage across multiple stages.

Stable high quality through continuous coil material forming
The continuous formation of coil-shaped materials enables the production of long materials with minimal shape variation and stable quality, as well as highly efficient drilling processes. This helps ensure stable production for our customers and reduces the occurrence of defective products.

Based on these features, products utilizing this technologycontribute to optimizing material usage, reducing energy consumption, and minimizing waste volume.

Click here for more details.
https://www.nipponkinzoku.co.jp/assets/images/2026/01/20260113-En-Press-Release.pdf

About NIPPON KINZOKU Group
Our products have been used in a range of areas from the precision field to the construction industry. https://www.nipponkinzoku.co.jp/en/

Example of Combined Metal Forming (After Profile Rolling and Bending)