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Parliament’s presiding officers have again opted to keep a tight leash on spending for the State of the Nation Address, capping the budget at R2 million.
This was announced on Tuesday during a state of readiness media briefing ahead of next week’s first Sona of the sixth administration.
In a statement read out by Deputy Speaker Lechesa Tsenoli, he said that Parliament has been actively working to significantly reduce spending on the ceremony, which he said used to come with a price tag of R9.2 million five years ago.
During the Sona held earlier this year, Parliament says it spent R1.6 million of the R2 million which it had budgeted. National Assembly Speaker Thandi Modise said she hoped that Parliament would be able to again under spend on the allocated budget.
Around 1200 guests have been invited to the event scheduled to take place next Thursday (June 20).
Modise also said that Parliament had made no special security arrangements for the evening.
“We [are] not expecting any [disruptions], we have not been given any indication that there will be any disruptions,” she said.
“No [extra] contingencies have been put in place, we will stick to what we usually do in terms of our rules, we will ensure that there is decorum and if something does happen we will revert to the rules of a joint sitting. I don’t know how many white shirts there are and I am hoping that we do not have to use them. We will be relying on the rules of debate and decorum.”
Modise was forced to intervene earlier this week when a scuffle broke out among MPs during the induction program for new arrivals.
Tsenoli said that the presiding officers were hoping that the intervention was enough to prevent any other similar scenes from playing themselves out.
“The intervention by the speaker had the desired effect and we [are] hoping that responsiveness to the intervention during the chaos that erupted will last until, and including during, the Sona itself. We [are] hoping that, as the speaker says correctly, we hoping that members will appreciate the rules. The public has also been on our case to preserve the decorum of the House and we don’t wish to go the route of having to invite the protection services to intervene.”
National Council of Provinces chairperson Amos Masondo also moved to quell panic over the yet to be established portfolio committees.
“On the question of finalising the structures of Parliament, we should start off by saying that work is partially done and we are confident that all the committees and structures will be in place before Sona or soon thereafter. There is no real reason to worry, it is work in progress, this will be done and dusted on time in order for Parliament to do its work,” Masondo said.
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