Most opposition parties criticised President Thabo Mbeki's state of the nation address on Friday, saying he had devoted far too much time to Iraq and seriously neglected the burning issues of Aids, Zimbabwe and crime.

Democratic Alliance leader Tony Leon said the speech lacked a"sense of urgency" on these matters. It seemed to be more a case of "business as usual".

Zimbabwe was the most serious problem facing the Commonwealth, which was "unravelling" because of it. Yet, Mbeki had only referred to it in a single line.

The Aids issue needed much more attention, as the "battle in South Africa is in the wards of Baragwanath (hospital), not on the streets of Baghdad", Leon said.

Government was also showing dangerous complacency about crime.

The situation was so serious that South Africa needed a radical overhaul of the whole criminal justice system, he said.

The government was detached from the reality faced daily by ordinary South Africans, who were feeling more and more insecure.

On the positive side, the DA welcomed the announcement that the age limit for the child support grant was to be increased from seven to 14 years, Leon said.

New National Party leader Marthinus van Schalkwyk said the speech was "balanced".

"We welcome the safety net for poor South Africans, because the ANC and the NNP have many poor supporters... ." He also welcomed the announcement on the child support grant.

Another area deserving applause was the president's plan to overhaul the civil service, which was "long overdue".

However, Van Schalkwyk said there were "two glaring omissions" -- the Zimbabwe issue and crime, while Aids had also received insufficient attention.

Ordinary South Africans had to live with crime daily, and what was happening in Zimbabwe had a "huge influence" on South Africa, Van Schalkwyk said.

Inkatha Freedom Party leader Mangosuthu Buthelezi said there was a limit to what one could say domestically and internationally "in one hour".

"One of the major problems I had with the speech related to poverty. While I applaud the government's social grant initiatives, I think we need to begin to capacitate people in rural areas to produce food, otherwise what government says will be palliatives."
While he did not want to sit in judgement on Mbeki's speech, he felt that more emphasis had to be put on the Aids pandemic.

"This disease is really devastating us, and with such a raging pandemic what was needed was for it to be addressed specifically," Buthelezi said.

United Democratic Movement leader Bantu Holomisa disputed Mbeki's assertion that "the tide had turned".

"The tide has not turned, especially in the creation of jobs and poverty alleviation," he said.

The same was true for HIV sufferers.

The UDM welcomed the initiative to put more into social spending, but was concerned that "government was paying more lip service and will fail again to implement policy", Holomisa said.

African Christian Democratic Party leader Kenneth Meshoe said the speech was "disappointing".

"The president is making many promises, but can they be fulfilled?" he asked.

Highlighting the high crime rates, he questioned whether the statistics provided by Mbeki were correct, saying "statistics can be manipulated".

Meshoe also called on the government to support Aids sufferers.

Freedom Front leader Dr Pieter Mulder was also unhappy about the lack of new plans and initiatives to combat crime, particularly in the rural areas.

What made it worse was that the commando system, a stabilising factor in rural security, was to be phased out with no real alternative in place.

Mulder agreed that too much emphasis had been placed on Iraq and to little on Zimbabwe.

Dr Stanley Mogoba of the Pan Africanist Congress believed that while Mbeki's speech was "fairly good, the major disappointment was HIV/Aids".

"We support the president's initiatives on social grants and poverty, but unless the government clamps down hard on crime, the vicious cycle of no investment, unemployment and crime will continue," he added.

Afrikaner Unity Movement leader (AEB) Cassie Aucamp said he was especially concerned about the commando system being phased out.

This would create a vacuum increasing the risk of murder and crime in rural areas.

He intended discussing the matter with the responsible minister, Aucamp said.

In a statement, later, the SA Communist Party said the development and finalisation of a comprehensive social security system, social health insurance, and the establishment of a social security agency, created a "conducive climate for a mature debate on the necessity, desirability and feasibility or otherwise of a basic income grant for all South Africans" - Sapa.