President Jacob Zuma will deliver his most difficult State of the Nation (Sona) address tonight when he takes to the podium at 7pm.
This comes in the wake of various scandals that include Nkandla, Guptagate and firing two Finance ministers within days of each other. Since firing Finance Minister Nhlanhla Nene, which sent the rand into a free fall and damaged the country’s economy, Zuma’s already tarnished credibility has been waning rapidly. The fact that the Constitutional Court found that he had violated the Constitution and his oath of office is not helping him either.
If one looks at social media comments, for many it is not so much about what the President is going to say, but rather what action and drama will play out this evening. Sona2016 already has been dubbed the “best reality TV show” and “must-watch TV” by many after last year’s debacle when the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) members physically were thrown out of the House, followed by the Democratic Alliance (DA) members walking out.
The Speaker of Parliament, Baleka Mbete, has vowed though that she will not tolerate any disruptions from Members of Parliament (MPs) and that she again will have the EFF removed physically, should they cause trouble. This time though, because of new rules, she will be within her rights. Security at Parliament has been beefed up and police members have come from as far as Pretoria to help maintain order. Streets have been cordoned off and businesses in the CBD will be closing early.
But this evening all eyes will be on three people in particular – Zuma, Malema and Mbete. As the EFF has stated publicly, they will not back down when it comes to confronting Zuma with various issues, especially the Nene debacle.
But it’s not all serious business. There is even a Zuma-speech drinking game doing the rounds on social media where players are punished with a drink when the president mispronounces a word or number, touches his spectacles or uses the word “education”, among other things.
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