We asked him to take charge: Maybe he heard us at last

Minus the long history lesson, President Jacob Zuma's response to his critics was a step in the right direction.

For once, parliament was not a circus. His responses were short and to the point. Gone were the long-winded statements that lose themselves in tortuous detail.

Yesterday South Africa saw a president taking charge.

He even complimented his political foes - such as EFF leader Julius Malema and COPE leader Mosiuoa Lekota - for their critiques instead of lashing out . The chaos some of us expected did not happen.

He even condemned the jamming of electronic communications in parliament last week.

The president presented himself strongly, showing the type of leadership that he and his party have for so long failed to evince.

"Our people look to us to provide answers and solutions to the difficulties they face," he said.

"They look up to us to assure them that the country is on track and that the mission of building a united and prosperous society continues, and that life will get better each day."

This is indeed what we want.

The president who spoke last night is certainly an improvement on "the other" president, who laughs at inappropriate moments and ignores the nation's pressing concerns.

There is a difficult road ahead for this country.

Going forward, we expect President Zuma to serve the nation's citizens and not merely strive to please his party members. As president, he has a duty to look beyond Luthuli House. Many communities still wait for the services they were promised.

We do not need a circus. We need leadership; we need solutions. Other nations build for the future, and so must we.

South Africans have a duty to demand better leadership at all times.

For us to become a developed nation and not remain a developing one, those we elected must be accountable to us, the public, not just to their political party.