IT’S all system go for the 2023 State of the Nation of Address (Sona) on Thursday, 9 February.
This was said by the Speaker of Parliament, Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, during a media briefing on Tuesday.
Mapisa-Nqakula was giving an update on the state readiness to host the Sona.
The speaker started by thanking the City of Cape Town, under the leadership of executive mayor councillor Geordin Hill-Lewis, for once again allowing them to use the City Hall to host this year’s joint sitting of the National Assembly and the National Council of Provinces where President Cyril Ramaphosa will deliver the Sona.
She said the city handed over the City Hall to Parliament since 1 February in order to enable them to make the necessary arrangements to convert the area into a precinct suitable for hosting the most important occasion in the parliamentary events calendar.
“The City Hall is now officially a precinct of Parliament. In addition to the Sona, the hall will also host the two-day debate on the president’s address by the joint sitting of the houses, the reply to the debate by the president and the Budget Speech by the Minister of Finance on 22 February,” she said.
She said the Sona will be hosted under the theme: “Following up on our commitments to the people: Making your future work better.”
Mapisa-Nqakula said the 2023 Sona will be fully physical and all attendees, including members of Parliament and invited guests, will be present in the chamber and the public gallery.
“Approximately 490 members of Parliament, 10 including representatives of South African Local Government Association, will be accommodated on the floor of the chamber while 263 guests, constituted of representatives of various sectors of our society, will be accommodated in the public gallery of the hall,” she said.
Speaking on load shedding, deputy speaker of the National Assembly Lechesa Tsenoli said there will be minimisation of load shedding prior to the sitting.
“No load shedding will impact the Sona. Alternative measures to mitigate the electricity crises will be put in place,” he said.
Tsenoli said that the budget put in place for the sitting is about R8 million, which will also cover the Budget Speech and the debates.
He also said they are anticipating disruptions but that is not new.
“We will ensure the rules of Parliament are applied. Members of Parliament are familiar with the rules. Every member has a responsibility to conduct themselves in a proper fashion. We will be fair and firm when asserting the rules,” he said.
