Jacob Zuma’s latest State of the Nation address was full of promise and he’s pledged to boost the economy, skills and jobs with a massive infrastructure development drive.

Nothing new there, you might think: Government has been pushing infrastructure as a means of kick-starting the economy and reducing unemployment since at least 2010.

However, Zuma’s promises have been widely welcomed as a step in the right direction.

Cosatu general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi said Zuma’s fourth State of the Nation address, delivered at Parliament last night, “pressed all the right buttons”.

Zuma was relaxed and confident as he delivered what many considered his best State of the Nation address yet.

He outlined a number of plans and gave details of what he said was a streamlined cluster of major projects involving mainly Limpopo, Mpumalanga, North West, the Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and the Western Cape.

He also announced moves to cut the cost of doing business and said he had asked Eskom to find ways of keeping future electricity price-hikes in check.

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Image: Getty