President Cyril Ramaphosa will deliver the state of the nation (Sona) address — his first as head of the government of national unity (GNU) — in the Cape Town city hall on Thursday, February 6.
Presented to a joint sitting of the National Assembly and National Council of Provinces, the address will also be his first state of the nation address to the seventh democratic parliament.
In the state of the nation address, the president highlights what he sees as the achievements of government, points to challenges and outlines interventions for the coming financial year. Significant events this year will include SA’s presidency of the G20 and its hosting of the G20 summit in Johannesburg in November.
The president is also expected to focus on the structural economic reforms brought about so far by Operation Vulindlela — a joint initiative by the presidency and the National Treasury — and its plan of work going forward.
Ramaphosa’s state of the nation address marks the official start of the parliamentary programme and sets out the government’s policy objectives and deliverables for the year ahead.
This year’s address will be markedly different from previous ones as Ramaphosa is expected to deal with the progress, plans and challenges of the GNU, which has had to deal with deep policy differences between its member parties over the Basic Education Laws Amendment Act and the National Health Insurance Act.
Business has responded positively to the establishment of the GNU, which has boosted sentiment.
A clearing house has been established by the GNU to iron out policy differences and while Ramaphosa has promulgated the Basic Education Laws Amendment Act, it is still unclear whether any compromise is possible on the National Health Insurance Act, which health minister Aaron Motsoaledi is adamant should be implemented as presently formulated.
This year’s state of the nation address will also be different in that it will be presented to a parliament marked by a new main opposition party, MK, and a diminished EFF, members of which have in past caused mayhem with their repeated interjections. Both parties are strongly opposed to Ramaphosa’s presidency.
In the days after the address there will be a debate in the National Assembly, at the conclusion of which Ramaphosa will give his response.
What is likely to be absent from the debate, now that the GNU has been formed with a number of opposition parties including the DA, IFP, FF+, GOOD, Patriotic Alliance, PAC, UDM, Rise Mzansi and Al Jama-ah, is the vigorous opposition to government policies and Ramaphosa’s leadership that was the case in the past.
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