State of the Nation Address
State of the Nation Address Estelle GreeffPresident Jacob Zuma will deliver his State of the Nation Address (SoNA) in Parliament in Cape Town on Thursday, 12 February at 7pm.
Every year, the President delivers the SoNA to outline government’s plans for the coming year and to acknowledge role players who contributed to the achievement of plans outlined in the previous year.
The event is usually attended by political dignitaries, senior government officials and South Africans from different walks of life. The SoNA is interpreted in the 11 official languages and Sign Language to make it accessible to all citizens.
With South Africa having celebrated 20 Years of Freedom in 2014, the President will focus on the progress made in this regard and highlight government’s priorities going forward.
Government’s priorities include improving education, improving health care, creating decent work, fighting crime and corruption, and rural development and land reform.
One of President Zuma’s responsibilities is to ensure that government implements the priorities through a Programme of Action with strong outcomes and measurable outputs in order to improve the lives of the people.
As usual, activities outside of Parliament before the SoNA will include different cultural groups entertaining spectators through song and dance.
The 2015 SoNA will be broadcast live on radio and television, and there will be live viewing on big screens at various locations in all nine provinces.