Opposition parties on Monday expressed concern over the ANC-led government's "soft" response to the devastating impact of the global financial crisis.

Addressing MPs during the National Assembly debate on President Kgalema Motlanthe's State of the National Address, Inkatha Freedom Party leader Mangosuthu Buthelezi said the president painted a picture that South Africa will "miraculously" escape the impact of the crisis.

"When the president tells us that the state of our nation is fine and is going to remain such, I beg to differ. Too many South Africans have already begun suffering and things will become much worse in the years to come," he said.

Government should be frank and inform South Africans that the road lying ahead was a rocky one.

"The road ahead is harsh and hard and projecting a different hope will undermine our country's capacity to build up its readiness to cope with it," Buthelezi said.

Democratic Alliance Parliamentary leader Sandra Botha said government should warn South Africans that a "tsunami" was on its way.

"We need to be forewarned and forearmed... 50 million job losses projected globally is certainly nothing less. This is clearly a highly complex problem that needs complex stakeholders-negotiated solutions and even radical change," she said.

United Democratic Movement leader Bantu Holomisa said the crisis required South Africans to ask difficult questions.

"In light of the global economic meltdown, can we still say that the fundamentals of our current economic policy are going to sustain us for the next 20 years?" he asked.

Independent Democrats leader Patricia de Lille urged the government to demonstrate a sense of urgency.

"Now is certainly the time for government to invest in our economy, as global demand for our commodities drops off rapidly.

"The... crisis presents us with an exciting opportunity for massive investments in renewable energy, which will not only create hundreds of thousands of jobs, but also provide sustainable energy for our people and position us as a world leader in combating climate change," she said.