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carefully does it: President Jacob Zuma's upcoming state of the nation address presents an opportunity to save face - or once again miss the mark completely. Picture by Sheley Christians

A bit of cautionary advice: the great beards in President Jacob Zuma's office would do well this week to prepare a completely different speech for the state of the nation address and save some face.

It should be a speech with mood-setting details - something straight-laced and in touch with the everyday concerns of South Africans.

The speech should read like a love letter from a lover scorned - hell hath no fury stuff, with a heavy dose of the accompanying agreeable sociable ambience the president is known for and fewer party historical facts sticking out of the text.

The centenary speech Zuma delivered a few weeks ago completely ruined the the ruling party's 100-year claim to past glory. It was a howler of a missed opportunity.

And the saccharine sweet lecture on John Langalibalele Dube in the Vaal the other day failed to illuminate the legacy of the founding president of the ANC.

This is the man the commies claim was born of incorruptible seed, was a dependable leader and had a broader than usual appeal in the organisation.

Beyond that the president could not unpack him to a 21st century audience. Instead he preached to the choir from the comfort level of self-preservation, afraid, it seems, to compare and observe the two time periods of the ANC critically.

But why'd you do that, when you seem to be the problem or are caught in the bad culture you want to rupture in the organisation?

What the president will say on February 9 might help him to reach a peaceful political afterlife - if the naysayers in Mangaung are earnest about their threat to unseat him and if we can glean anything concrete from their hypothesis.

What is certain is that the president is no longer at ease.

He is running sore. The backlash train keeps rolling.

People who grew up with the president on "the edge of the wilds" in the summer solstice of 2007 in Limpopo and vowed to die for him are the same people fighting this latest unacceptable persona.

Some suddenly remember that they are owed money. Others are queuing to get their last ration of paybacks, unsure of the future.

This president would also do well to drop the religious non- sequiturs, such as "the ANC will rule until Jesus comes" this week.

In February last year he made the infamous statement that "when you have an ANC membership card, you are blessed.

"When you get up there, there are different cards used but when you have an ANC card, you will be let through to go to heaven.

"When Jesus fetches us we will find (those in the beyond) wearing black, green and gold. The holy ones belong to the ANC."

But, as things stand, the campaign war chest of the "wounded" is getting more pronounced ahead of the policy conference in June.

There are commies hoping to hang a lantern on the problem in the ruling party in terms of lack of leadership and the president of the country is the number one culprit.

This week he should prove that he is indeed blessed.