Ramaphosa's State of the Nation Address hit all the right notes: from restructuring Eskom to removing the biggest risk to the economy - the quantum of the bailout was kicked for touch to the Budget - and further steps to clean up institutions like State-owned Enterprises and the intelligence services. It was an election-mode SONA without being crass about it. Opposition parties were left with not much to say except that the proof would be in the pudding.
It was a State of the Nation Address (SONA) like there hasn't been in years: a detailed account of what has happened in the past year, a series of key announcements of what will happen next and a political overview that emphasised unity, hard work and social compacts - yes, Thuma Mina continues to feature large - in the year South Africa's constitutional democracy marks a quarter of a century.
...