Pressure on president to deliver at Sona
ALL eyes will be on the State of the Nation address (Sona) as President Cyril Ramaphosa is expected to deliver a blueprint for the country ahead of the much-anticipated elections in May.
He has come under pressure from opposition parties and civil society to further clamp down on corruption.
Parties and civil society yesterday said not only officials must be arrested, but they wanted top politicians implicated in the Zondo Commission of Inquiry into state capture and other corruption to be arrested and axed from the Cabinet as well.
This after the Hawks arrested seven people aged between 50 and 78 years on allegations of corruption, money laundering and fraud involving the prisons department and Bosasa.
Opposition parties warned of a weak economy and said Ramaphosa must come up with a plan to rescue the country.
The president is also expected to outline a plan to deal with the issue of state-owned entities.
Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan has said the unbundling of Eskom has to happen within a month.
ACDP leader Reverend Kenneth Meshoe said: “We are not going to take the president seriously unless he arrests ANC politicians involved in corruption.”
National Freedom Party MP Nhlanhla Khubisa said school infrastructure was in a state of disrepair, and Ramaphosa has to intervene.
Cope spokesperson Dennis Bloem added: “The first thing we are expecting from the president is how he is going to deal with corruption in this country.”
DA leader Mmusi Maimane urged Ramaphosa to deal with unemployment, as nine million people were unemployed in the country.
IT’S all systems go for the official opening of Parliament today as President Cyril Ramaphosa, ministers, MPs and the public descend on the CBD for the State of the Nation address (Sona).
Official rehearsals took place on Tuesday and yesterday, and the national government and police requested that road closures be in effect in the City which will extend until 11.59pm today in some parts.
The road closures will affect the normal flow of traffic in and around the City Bowl, Newlands, the M3 and N2 City-bound lanes.
The City said security fencing would line the route in the CBD, and there would be guarded pedestrian crossing points during peak time on Plein Street (Shortmarket, Spin and Barrack streets).
Pedestrians have been encouraged to make use of Buitenkant Street.
The Company’s Garden will be closed today from 6am to 11.59pm, while Darling Street between Adderley and Buitenkant streets, and Wale Street between Adderley and Queen Victoria streets may be closed during the day for security reasons.
Contingency closure in case of an emergency may include Adderley Street between Strand and Bureau streets, Longmarket Street between Buitenkant and Long streets, Church Street between Burg and Adderley streets and Burg Street between Wale and Longmarket streets.
The City said its emergency and enforcement services would also be on duty.
“We have recently overcome one of the worst droughts on record, and our dam levels are significantly healthier this year, but we’d like to remind our visitors to please continue being waterwise as we are still observing Level 3 restrictions,” the City said.
We’d like to remind our visitors to please continue being water-wise as we are still observing Level 3 restrictions.
The City