SONA to cost R2-million less

THIS year’s State of the Nation Address (SONA) will cost R2 million less than it did in the previous year, Parliament’s presiding officers announced on Tuesday.

The event will see President Jacob Zuma will outline the progress made by his administration over the past five years and also reveal government’s service delivery plans over the coming year, will take place in Parliament in Cape Town on Thursday.

Baby Tyawa, the Acting Secretary of Parliament, said while this year’s event was bigger in the sense that the two houses also had separate programmes to organise celebrations commemorating 20 years of democracy, the budget for all SONA activities-including a post-SONA Presidential banquet-stood at R5.7 million.

She said this year’s banquet would be held at the Cape Town Convention Centre, meaning millions or rands will be saved compared to last year, where they had to erect a marquee tent and bus all the guests to a venue.

“In terms of our books, we will be spending R2 million less. In addition to that, I think the Speaker [Max Sisulu] did talk about convenience. When you go to a tent, you also have to bus people, and that is also extra costs,” she said. Tyawa said they cut costs to also heed finance minister Pravin Gordhan’s call for the administration to cut expenditure and to curb abuse of taxpayer’s funds.

The address will be broadcast live on TV and radio stations from 7pm on Thursday in all official languages. The debate will be streamed live on parliament’s website and its YouTube channel, and would be broadcast on the Parliamentary DSTV TV channel.