President Cyril Ramaphosa delivered the State of the Nation Address (SONA) at the Cape Town City Hall on Thursday. Below is the SONA in numbers: Social Assistance More than 26 million - South Africans who continue to receive social assistance every month provided by the democratic state. Some 9 million - unemployed people receiving the Special Social Relief of Distress Grant every month. Unemployment and Job Creation Two million ­- people who lost their jobs due to COVID-19. 15 to 24 - the ages of millions of young people who were not in employment, education or training, by 8 February 2024. More than 1.7 million - work and livelihood opportunities created through the Expanded Public Works Programme. More than 1 million - school assistants placed in 23 000 schools through the Presidential Employment Stimulus. 23 000 - schools where more than one million school assistants have been placed through the Presidential Employment Stimulus. From 8 million to over 16.7 million - the increase in the number of South Africans in employment since 1994 until 2024. Over 4.3 million - young people engaged on SAYouth.mobi, a zero-rated platform for unemployed young people to access opportunities for learning and earning. 1.6 million - young people who have secured opportunities through the SAYouth.mobi, a zero-rated platform for unemployed young people to access opportunities for learning and earning. Crime and Corruption More than 200 - accused persons being prosecuted by the National Prosecuting Authority. R14 billion - value of freezing orders granted to the National Prosecuting Authority's Asset Forfeiture Unit for state capture-related cases. Around R8.6 billion - value of corrupt proceeds that have been returned to the State. R4.8 billion - unpaid taxes collected by the South African Revenue Service. R64 billion - value of civil litigation instituted by the Special Investigating Unit. 5 000 - extra police officers deployed to Public Order Policing. Over 285 000 - arrests made by the South African Poli ce Service since May 2023 through Operation Shanela. 20 000 - police officers recruited over the last two years. 10 000 - police officers to be recruited in the year to come. Over 100 000 - people stopped by the new Border Management Authority from entering South Africa illegally. Energy More than 2 500 - megawatts of solar and wind power connected to the grid. More than 120 - new private energy projects in development. More than 14 000 - kilometres of new transmission lines to be built over the coming years to accommodate renewable energy. Around R170 billion to almost R240 billion - increases in the value of financing pledges for the Just Energy Transition Investment Plan in the past year. Economy and Investment More than 60 - ships waiting to berth at the Port of Durban in mid-November 2023. 12 - ships waiting to berth at the Port of Durban at the end of January 2024. R1.5 trillion - value of new investment commitments raised through five South Africa Investment Conferences. R500 billion - val ue of new investment commitments raised through five South Africa Investment Conferences that have already flowed into the economy. Approximately 39% - black ownership of mining by 2024, compared with 2% in 2004. Road Infrastructure Nearly 25 000 - kilometres of roads being managed by the South African National Roads Agency Limited. More than 1 200 - projects to the value of R120 billion awarded by the South African National Roads Agency Limited in the past five years. R120 billion - the value of more than 1 200 projects awarded by the South African National Roads Agency Limited in the past five years. Land 25% - farmland owned by black South Africans through redistribution. 30% - target of farmland to be owned by black South Africans through redistribution by 2030. Labour Around 1 000 - black industrialists supported with funding and other forms of support in the last five years. More than 90 000 - workers employed by black-owned firms which contribute many billions of rands to the South African e conomy. About 200 000 - workers who obtained ownership of shares in the companies in which they work. Over half a million - status of worker ownership in companies in the South African economy. Over 6 million - workers whose wages were raised by the introduction of the National Minimum Wage. Matric 82.9% - latest matric pass rate; the highest ever. Poverty Alleviation 71.1% - South African population living in poverty in 1993. 60.9% - the drop in the poverty rate by 2010. 55.5% - the drop in the poverty rate by 2020. Health More than 100 000 ­- South Africans who lost their lives to COVID-19. 54 years - life expectancy in 2003. 65 years - life expectancy in 2023. 95% - persons diagnosed with HIV who know their status. 79% - persons who receive antiretroviral treatment out of the 95% diagnosed with HIV who know their status. 93% - persons virally suppressed out of the 95% diagnosed with HIV who know their status. Housing, Water and Telecommunications Nearly nine out of every 10 - households l iving in a formal dwelling. Only 6 out of 10 - people who had access to clean drinking water at the end of apartheid. 9 out of 10 - South Africans with access to clean drinking water by 2024. 79% - households with access to the internet in 2022. Gender-Based Violence and Femicide Around R21 billion - money dedicated over the medium term to implement the six pillars of the National Strategic Plan on Gender-based Violence and Femicide, including the economic empowerment of women. Source: South African Government News Agency