President Cyril Ramaphosa's state of the nation address (Sona) has set tongues wagging online, with some speculating he took a jab at former president Thabo Mbeki's “I'm an African” speech.
Ramaphosa delivered his annual Sona in the Cape Town City Hall on Thursday.
“For we are a nation defined not by the oceans and rivers that form the boundaries of our land. We are not defined by the minerals under our earth or the spectacular landscape above it,” Ramaphosa said.
“We are not even defined by the languages we speak or the songs we sing or the work we do. We are, at our most essential, a nation defined by hope and resilience.”
In 1996, Mbeki said: “I am an African. I owe my being to the hills and the valleys, the mountains and the glades, the rivers, the deserts, the trees, the flowers, the seas and the ever-changing seasons that define the face of our native land.
“My body has frozen in our frosts and in our latter day snows. It has thawed in the warmth of our sunshine and melted in the heat of the midday sun. The crack and the rumble of the summer thunders, lashed by startling lightning, have been a cause both of trembling and of hope,” he said at the time.
Contradiction or 'shady'? Scores compare Ramaphosa's Sona to Mbeki's 'I'm an African' speech
Image: GCIS
President Cyril Ramaphosa's state of the nation address (Sona) has set tongues wagging online, with some speculating he took a jab at former president Thabo Mbeki's “I'm an African” speech.
Ramaphosa delivered his annual Sona in the Cape Town City Hall on Thursday.
“For we are a nation defined not by the oceans and rivers that form the boundaries of our land. We are not defined by the minerals under our earth or the spectacular landscape above it,” Ramaphosa said.
“We are not even defined by the languages we speak or the songs we sing or the work we do. We are, at our most essential, a nation defined by hope and resilience.”
In 1996, Mbeki said: “I am an African. I owe my being to the hills and the valleys, the mountains and the glades, the rivers, the deserts, the trees, the flowers, the seas and the ever-changing seasons that define the face of our native land.
“My body has frozen in our frosts and in our latter day snows. It has thawed in the warmth of our sunshine and melted in the heat of the midday sun. The crack and the rumble of the summer thunders, lashed by startling lightning, have been a cause both of trembling and of hope,” he said at the time.
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Ramaphosa announced the government's plans to resolve issues, including load-shedding, help small businesses and boost food security.
He said he would appoint a minister of electricity in the presidency who would deal specifically with the electricity crisis.
On social media, scores of people said Ramaphosa's speech “contradicted” Mbeki's, while others said the country can’t be defined by hope and resilience.
Here is a snapshot of some of the reactions:
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