Former president Thabo Mbeki on Tuesday night spoke of a country trapped in an economic and political crisis‚ and while he said SA was "not at tipping point"‚ he urged business leaders‚ government and society to "err on the side of caution" and "act now". This is his at the Sunday Times TOP 100 Co mpanies Awards speech in full: Mr Editor‚ Mr Bongani Siqoko‚ Business leaders‚ Ladies and Gentlemen: I trust that you will bear with me as I begin my comments today by referring to elements of our past. When I delivered the state of the nation address in 1999 I said‚ among other things: "Steadily‚ the dark clouds of despair are lifting‚ giving way to our season of hope. "Our country which‚ for centuries‚ has bled from a thousand wounds is progressing towards its healing. "The continuing process of social and national emancipation‚ to which we are all subject‚ constitutes an evolving act of self-definition. "At the dawn of a new life‚ our practical actions must ensure that none can challeng...

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