President Cyril Ramaphosa presents his seventh State of the Nation Address on Thursday in the midst of a crippling energy crisis, a slowing economy, a pandemic of violence against women and children, and rising unemployment.
BREAKING: President Cyril Ramaphosa announces State of Disaster with immediate effect in light of the ongoing blackouts and energy crisis.
A Minister of Electricity in the Presidency will be appointed.
UPDATE: The EFF has blasted speaker of Parliament Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula for her ruling to have members of the party removed from the SONA sitting.
After a chaotic removal from the house sitting, EFF members were escorted away from the Cape Town City Hall by public order police where they briefed media.
“She violated every rule in the book,” said the party’s leader, Julius Malema.
“It was her who had to protect us as members... we were kicked out for calling a point of order.
“The president swept the Phala Phala matter under the carpet using his security forces. He came with elite forces of the police to the house,” Malema said.
He said the removal of party members went against prior court rulings.
“The Constitutional Court ruled that we must be treated as individual members of parliament. What she did was treat us as a group.”
– By Brandon Nel
UPDATE: Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula invites members who “do not wish to listen to the State of the Nation Address to leave the house”.
After running out of patience with EFF MPs, the Speaker says she has now closed the door for points of order. She asks President Cyril Ramaphosa to speak. As Ramaphosa tries to speak, he is drowned out again and the Speaker intervenes again.
Almost the entire bench of EFF MPs have their hands up and demanding to speak. The Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Ngqakula says she would not allow them to speak. Defiant, she asks President Cyril Ramaphosa to take the podium and speak. But she is drowned by howling from the benches.
EFF MP, Marshall Dlamini stands up to accuse President Cyril Ramaphosa of wrongdoing and he locks horns with the Speaker, Nosiviwe Mapisa-Ngqakula. The Speaker warns him that he will expel him. She said: "I see the game that you are playing" and added that she would not allow them to play it.
Mapisa-Nqakula closes the debate, and invites President Cyril Ramaphosa to continue.
UPDATE: ATM MP Vuyo Zungula ejected from the house for defying an instruction from Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula.
#SONA23 - ATM MP, Vuyo Zungula joins the fray and locks horns with Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Ngqakula who warns him that he is defying her orders. Zungula said the speaker keeps on disrupting MPS. Zungula is now expelled from the house by the Speaker. @IOL
UPDATE: EFF leader Julius Malema raises a point of order just as President Cyril Ramaphosa begins the delivery of the State of the Nation Address.
#SONA23 - As President Cyril Ramaphosa is about to speak, EFF Leader, Julius Malema stands up to speak after asking for a point of order. He locks horns with the Speaker for not ordering Ramaphosa to sit down before he speaks. Malema says Ramaphosa can't address parly. @IOL
— Sihle Mavuso (@ZANewsFlash) February 9, 2023
Within seconds of Pres. Ramaphosa taking the podium, EFF leader Malema raises his point of order saying that Ramaphosa "has no leg to stand on" and has "no right" to convene Parliament since he has taken Parli to court.@IOL #SONA2023
#SONA23 - EFF leader, Julius Malema objects to having President Cyril Ramaphosa address parliament, arguing that he has no legitimacy to do so after taking the house to court over the Phala Phala report. The debate between Malema & Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Ngqakula goes on. @IOL
— Sihle Mavuso (@ZANewsFlash) February 9, 2023
SONA2023: After 40 days of load shedding this year, Ramaphosa to make blackouts a top priority
President Cyril Ramaphosa’s office has hinted that he will on Thursday address the electricity crisis as Eskom continues to implement rolling blackouts.
This comes as political parties, civil society, unions and other stakeholders urged Ramaphosa to deal with socio-economic challenges facing the country.
READ THE FULL STORY HERE.
WATCH: Police on high alert ahead of SONA2023
Video: Ayanda Ndamane
Sona protesters hit policing snag, but protests continue in Hanover Street
With frustrations against the government already peaking, a number of unions and civil society organisations that had various grievances they wished to be heard today through marches and protests were prevented from leaving Hanover Street to conduct further demonstration activities.
READ THE FULL STORY HERE.
WATCH: Everything you need to know about the State of the Nation Address
Video: Tracey Adams
WATCH: Mounted Police patrol Cape Town CBD ahead of SONA 2023
Video: Armand Hough
SONA2023: Everything you need to know about the State of the Nation address and how it is convened
The State of the Nation address, or more commonly referred to as Sona, is a joint sitting of the two Houses of Parliament and one of the rare occasions that brings together the three arms of the state under one roof.
Sona provides the president with an opportunity to speak to the nation on the general state of South Africa, to reflect on a wide range of political, economic and social matters within the domestic and global contexts, to account to the nation on the work of the government and to set out the government’s programme of action. Traditionally, the president makes key government announcements during this important joint sitting of Parliament.
READ THE FULL STORY HERE.
#SONA2023: There’s a special cabinet sitting that is looking into the possibility of declaring the energy state of disaster today.
— Brandon (@brandonn_journo) February 9, 2023