State of the Nation  2024

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SONA 2021

Using the metaphor of South Africa’s resilient fynbos vegetation, President Cyril Ramaphosa took South Africans through the government’s plans to defeat Covid-19, recover from the economic damage wrought by years of economic stagnation and exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic, and fight crime and corruption.

The extraordinary thing about the fynbos ecosystem, unparalleled in the diversity of its flora, is that for it to rejuvenate it must burn at extremely high temperatures at least once every 20 years.

“Like a wildfire that sweeps across the mountainous ranges where the fynbos grows, a deadly pandemic has swept across the world, leaving devastation in its path. And yet, like the hardy fynbos of our native land, we too have proven to be resilient in many ways,” he said.

“More than anything else, this crisis has revealed the true character of our remarkable nation. It has revealed the spirit of the people who refused to be defeated. It is this South African spirit that must drive our resolve to build a new and more equal economy and a better, more just society. The year ahead must be a time for change, for progress and for rebirth.”

SONA 2021 Translations

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