Man of the moment
A SEA OF SUITS IN BLAND BLACK, BLUE OR GRAY
President Cyril Ramaphosa arrives at parliament ahead of his State of the Nation address. He is flanked by Speaker Baleka Mbete, left, his wife, Tshepo Motsepe and chair of the National Council of Provinces Thandi Modise.
The red carpet was abuzz with elegance – but Sona 2019 needed more spice.
The 2016 State of the Nation address by former president Jacob Zuma was a carefully planned event (that’s without taking the signal scrambler in the assembly room into account).
Before the red carpet, MPs from different camps met in private offices for a drink and to run over protocol for the evening.
The DA in all black walked out of the house and MPs weren’t allowed on the red carpet or to give individual interviews.
The EFF was jovial, hitting the red carpet in their signature red with struggle songs bouncing off the walls – before eventually getting kicked out of the assembly with chants of “pay back the money”.
This year, the red carpet was – well – far less exciting. For an election year, you would have expected a lot more spice. Instead it was a civil affair with chief whips like Jackson Mthembu from the ANC and John Steenhuisen from the DA posting their traditional selfie together. EFF chief whip Floyd Shivambu crossed the red carpet alone, with no fracas in sight.
On the fashion front, women attending the opening of parliament did rise to the occasion. There seems to be a focus on presenting clean silhouettes, and not the material explosions of the past. Top looks included:
THE GOOD
With a sense of whimsy, DA MP Ghaleb Cachalia hit the red carpet with a sash reading “Not paid by Bosasa”. He was one of few political figures to use his red carpet moment to shape his own narrative.
Also from the DA camp, national spokesperson Phumzile van Damme, looked stunning in gold. She was accompanied by her sister, Qiniso, in a striking floral power-suit.
DA leader Mmusi Maimane’s wife Natalie walked the red carpet in an eye-catching and flouncy white jumpsuit by Cape Townbased designer Natalia Trisolino.
One of the night’s best looks, however, was from deputy Minister of Communication Pinky Kekana in a emerald-beaded mermaid gown. Kekana wasn’t scared to retweet commentary praising the gown. Parliamentary speaker Baleka Mbeka also chose this shade of green in a regal gown.
THE BAD
Parliament TV did a terrible job: unsure presenters, bad angles and horrible interviews made it unwatchable.
Male MPs and politicians really didn’t bother this year. It was predominantly a sea of suits, in bland black, blue or gray.
For the most part, focus was on a few fashion missteps. The DA’s Natasha Mazzone supported a local store Afrikweens, but it resulted in a way-too-long rok with unflattering, colour-blocked lines in pink.
Another weird choice was Lillian Wolmarans, who showed a lot more cleavage than normal in a blue and pink dress with flower embellishments.
THE UGLY
Noticeably missing at Sona 2019 were controversial ANC figures like Malusi Gigaba (who always wins the red carpet), former president Jacob Zuma and Fikile Mbalula.
Another no show was Western Cape premier Helen Zille, who was instead represented by acting premiere Alan Winde.
A very confused Bathabile Dlamini also wasn’t able to elaborate on her floral beaded outfit, answering the question with her usual confused train of thought.
Minister of Small Business Development Lindiwe Zulu’s tablecloth-like yellow dress also didn’t make a sunny impression.