Of late I've been intrigued as to why Thabo Mbeki's annual speech is termed The State of the Nation Address. One almost expects a diagnosis on behalf of the President in terms of the position the country is in, and I suppose the Address does touch on that to some extent. Even more intriguing is what happens in the pulse of South Africans (and Americans for that matter in the lead up to Bush's address) as the Address looms.

Besides the focus this year on what Mbeki has to say about crime, there is a tangible expectation (every year) that the President will show us that what he believes pertinent to the "state of the nation" matches what we see and believe. In a sense, the narrative of South Africa that Mbeki weaves together is held up against the narrative pulse of the country at large.

The Address then becomes more of a validating discourse that the country uses to judge whether our president is really in touch with the pulse of the country. Interestingly, it seems to me that his speech is actually written for him by the media prior to the Address. All he (and his sometime unimaginative speech writers) have to do is mirror in his speech the issues covered in the press to ensure success!

I was pretty relieved at how the sitting of Parliament handled the Address. Unlike Bush's recent Address to Congress (I think it was?) we South Africans don't feel the need to provide a standing ovation every time Mbeki takes a breath (or drink of water).

Mbeki did a sterling job of tracing back some of the story of our democracy as he moved into his candid take on affairs.

From the Address (available here ):

We are not there yet. But no one, except ourselves, shall ensure that this dream is realised. And so, let us roll up our sleeves and get down to work, fully understanding that the task to build the South Africa for which we yearn is a common responsibility we all share.