President ignited the flame of hope

IMMEDIATELY after President Cyril Ramaphosa delivered his State of the Nation speech, the chair of the National Council of Provinces said: “We thank you, Mr President”.

It was the polite thing to say. In fact, protocol probably required her to thank the president. But the words carried a profound truth – South Africans indeed have much to thank Ramaphosa for.

Gone is the drama that was once associated with this august event. Instead, Ramaphosa has brought back the gravitas that should be a part of this annual address.

For many of our country’s men and women, that would translate into boring. But state of the nation speeches should never have become the soap opera ours descended into during recent years.

The speech is meant to provide an overview of our country. It is serious business that reflects our own lives. Ramaphosa’s speech this year was long – almost 9000 words. It would have used 22 A4 pages if printed using a 12-point size font.

But the length was necessary because South Africa has many serious challenges to face.

To his credit, Ramaphosa chose to confront them. He did not play the blame game. Instead, he provided solutions. Sure, he did not cross every “t” or dot every “i”. But such details, such as how Eskom will be split up, is generally not contained in a speech of this nature. It is meant only as a broad overview. The details follow later. The same is true of the decision to set up a unit like the Scorpions. There is the intention to do so but the fine print still needs to be sorted out. What’s important is the commitment to getting to the bottom of state capture and ensuring that justice is served. The hallmark of Ramaphosa’s speech was his vision for the future.

He understands that our world is changing and if we don’t prepare for that future, we are doomed.

It is the first time that a South African president has grasped this reality, and Ramaphosa’s plan to change our education system to deal with this new dawn is welcomed.

Ramaphosa is also right when he points out that our society has prevailed despite all those who believed a non-racial South Africa was impossible. We may not be perfect but, as he pointed out, “It was the eternal optimism of the human spirit that kept hopes alive during our darkest time”.

Under this president, the flame of hope is burning bright.