THE Presiding Officers of Parliament, who includes the Speaker of the National Assembly Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula and National Council of Provinces (NCOP) chair Amos Masondo, have taken a decision that this year’s State of the Nation Address will be delivered by President Cyril Ramaphosa at the Cape Town City Hall.
This comes after a devastating fire destroyed the National Assembly and sections of the Old Assembly Chamber.
Over the two-day period 300 firefighters were on the ground working shifts and more than 60 firefighting vehicles.
Parliament will not be charged for the use of the city hall.
In a media statement, the presiding officers said “the city hall was considered a suitable venue technically in terms of infrastructure and its capacity. It is also a befitting place considering its historical significance, which is embedded in the minds and hearts of South Africans.
“Cape Town’s city hall is the first place where the founding president of our democratic SA, former president Nelson Mandela, addressed the nation after his release from prison on 11 February 1990, with President Cyril Ramaphosa by his side.
“Again, on 9 May 1994, the late Archbishop Desmond Tutu introduced Tata Mandela to thousands of jubilant South Africans in the same balcony after his election in the NA [National Assembly] as the first democratic president.”
They noted that the city hall, which was built in 1905, is a historic landmark that is now home to a full-sized statue of Mandela on its balcony from where he addressed the nation for the first time after his release from prison. The statue was installed in 2017. An exhibition inside the city hall dedicated to Mandela is a permanent feature.
SONA is expected to take place on February 10, and the Budget Speech about two weeks later.
- Inside Politics
