National Assembly Speaker Thoko Didiza has pushed back against criticism that the State of the Nation Address (SONA) is merely an expensive political spectacle, insisting the R7 million price tag reflects critical infrastructure requirements for the national event.
Speaking in an interview ahead of Thursday evening’s address at Cape Town City Hall, Didiza addressed concerns over parliamentary spending while outlining the logistical complexity of hosting the flagship occasion.
“We can’t say it’s a R7 million party,” Didiza said. “The expenditure towards the hosting of events such as SONA is really about the essential physical infrastructure that is required for such a hosting, particularly the places we create for you as the media to be able to interview not only for yourselves but also to inform the citizens about what is happening in Cape Town today.”
Didiza explained that costs have nearly halved from last year’s expenditure, attributing the reduction primarily to a change in venue arrangements. The 2024 address saw expenses escalate due to severe weather in Cape Town that forced organisers to secure the Cape Town International Convention Centre as an overflow venue.
“If you recall, the cost of last year was escalated because of the weather in Cape Town, particularly that affected the overflow tent where most of our guests sit to listen to the president,” Didiza said. “Immediately we had to make a decision and approach the ICC to assist us with the hosting of that constituency, and that pushed up the cost.”
The Speaker emphasised that SONA preparations involve coordination across multiple government departments, including Public Works for infrastructure and the security cluster for protection. She noted the presence of the ministers of justice, police, and correctional services during recent readiness exercises.
On the question of potential protests, Didiza confirmed there have been no specific threats but stressed that citizen demonstrations are accommodated within established frameworks.
“When there are citizens protesting to raise issues, we always have a space that the city will provide so that citizens can express their views,” she said. “Some of them would apply to the city and indicate they would like to have a march expressing whatever issue they would want to be lifted and seen by the public.”
Turning to policy priorities, Didiza identified three critical areas she expects citizens to watch for in the President’s address: local government capacity and service delivery, particularly water reticulation; economic growth and youth employment; and safety and security.
“Citizens are saying we need to build on the shoots that we’re seeing on our economy to make sure that it can expand, absorb more people into economic activity, particularly young people who are the majority of our citizens,” she said.
Asked whether the Government of National Unity has complicated parliamentary functioning, Didiza acknowledged a changed political landscape while framing it as broadly positive.
“The GNU has brought a dynamic, and I wouldn’t say the GNU per se because you’ve got parties that are not in the Government of National Unity,” she said. “What the 2024 elections did for all of us was bringing many voices into the parliamentary space who represent different constituencies of our country, who now can also have their voices heard.”
Didiza noted that this year marks 30 years since South Africa’s Constitution was adopted, describing it as an opportunity for citizens to assess how the supreme law has enabled governance infrastructure and improved lives.
The State of the Nation Address is scheduled to begin at 19:00, with President Cyril Ramaphosa expected to deliver his assessment before a joint sitting of the two houses of Parliament.