‘Confrontation will be met with confrontation,’ says Cele ahead of Sona

Police Minister Bheki Cele has issued a stern warning to those who are planning to disrupt the State of the Nation Address (Sona) on Thursday.

Cele addressed members of South African Police Service (Saps) who have been deployed around Cape Town to ensure the safety and security of this year’s Sona.

“There have been things that make South Africans not sure whether the country is stable, whether the country is not under any attack. We want to ensure [the public that] South Africa is safe [and] South Africa is stable.

“There are things that will happen and will be taken care of. There is no panic that should take place. Nobody should think that South Africa is under any form of attack,” he told the officers. 

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The minister further said the officers must not hesitate to enforce the law if anyone disrupts tonight’s proceedings.

“To all the people that would be attending tonight, especially members of Parliament [MPs], the politicians, the visitors [and] the guests… [we want] everybody to behave [and] make life easy for the police so that we make life easy for you.

“We don’t want any confrontation. We don’t want any form of fighting, but if you order confrontation be assured you’ll get confrontation. If you order any form of war, be sure you will get that kind of response, we are not going to allow people to walk over us.”

It was revealed during a Joint Programming Committee Meeting in the National Assembly that 300 MPs as well as 70 guests would also attend Sona in person.

Speaking to eNCA after his peptalk, Cele said he was confident about the security measures put in place.

“All preparations makes us very comfortable hat everything will go well. You must remember that the [presence] of the police is around Parliament and the Presiding Officers’ security take charge inside Parliament. The whole city of Cape Town is under a good eye,” he said.

President Cyril Ramaphosa will deliver 2022 Sona at the Cape Town City Hall at 7pm.

This is the first time that the Sona is taking place outside parliament.

The venue of the address had to be moved after after a devastating fire that destroyed Parliament’s buildings, including the National Assembly and sections of the Old Assembly Chamber in January.

Ramaphosa is expected to give the address on the back of security concerns, rampant corruption and fraud, rising unemployment and a strained fiscus.

READ MORE: Parliament explains Sona budget increase

On Monday, Eskom CEO Andre De Ruyter indicated that there will be no load shedding in the Cape Town City Hall precinct when Ramaphosa delivers his speech.

De Ruyter said Eskom have an agreement with the City of Cape Town not to cut the power in the City Hall precinct, before, during and after Sona.