Home South African Only 50 people will be in Chamber for Ramaphosa’s SONA

Only 50 people will be in Chamber for Ramaphosa’s SONA

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Speaker Thandi Modise said 50 people will be inside the Chamber and this will include 30 MPs and other officials.

Speaker of National Assembly Thandi Modise. Picture: Phando Jikelo/African News Agency (ANA) Archives

SPEAKER Thandi Modise said on Wednesday only 50 people will be inside the Chamber, and this will include 30 MPs and other officials, for the State of the Nation Address (SONA) on Thursday.

“A total of 30 members of Parliament representing the two Houses of Parliament from various political parties will be physically in the National Assembly Chamber. They are from the ANC (14), DA (5), IFP (1), Freedom Front Plus (1), ACDP (1), Good (1), Cope (1), NFP (1). ATM (1), AIC (1) and Aljamah-ah (1),” said Modise.

She said the EFF chose not to send any MP to the Chamber, but will join other MPs who will follow proceedings virtually.

Modise also said there would not be any tight security measures.

She said there will be no red carpet as they will meet President Cyril Ramaphosa in the Chamber before the proceedings of the day begin.

The opposition parties two weeks ago had wanted Parliament to halt the SONA and wanted Modise to instead have a virtual session where the president would address the House as he has done in the past few months with his addresses on the coronavirus.

But Modise turned down the proposal, saying the SONA was important and the president would be giving a message to the nation.

Political Bureau

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