The Opening of Parliament address taking place today at Cape Town City Hall will be funded by Parliament, which has set aside between R6 million and R14 million.
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The address is given once every five years, following provincial and national elections, to outline the new administration’s plans while also signalling the official start of the new five-year term of Parliament.
During a media briefing on Wednesday, Secretary to Parliament Xolile George stated that they had made that budget because they had a R8.4 million budget for the 2023 State of the Nation address.
‘This is just a budget the actual expenditure may be less or slightly more depending on the reconciliation that we will be doing but this is the amount we have set aside based on the nature and scale,’ he said.
However, Refilwe Mtsweni-Tsipane, chairperson of the National Council of Provinces, stated that a gala dinner was cancelled due to financial constraints in this budget.
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In June, George stated that Parliament has almost doubled its budget for the seventh administration, with R58 million set aside.
‘In 2019, we budgeted R43 million for transition, in 2024, we budgeted R58 million. The budgeting is to make transitions for candidates, for flights, accommodation, tools of trade, inductions, and more,’ he said at the time.
Meanwhile, Thoko Didiza, speaker of the National Assembly, stated that they are not aware of any parliamentarians planning to boycott the opening of parliament.
Her statement comes after the uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MK) boycotted the National Assembly’s first sitting.
MK party members were dissatisfied with the outcome of the May 29 national elections, claiming the results were rigged and demanding a recount of ballots.
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Meanwhile, heavy rains in the Mother City have already disrupted Parliament’s opening, with some pre-seating festivities postponed.
The South African National Defence Force (SANDF) has cancelled its airshow, which was scheduled to take place before the president’s address later on Thursday.
By Thursday morning, it was also unclear whether the military parade would still be part of the day’s schedule.
This occurred as rain poured down the streets, with police attempting to ensure that the inclement weather did not disrupt security checks.
At the same time, commuters in the CBD faced not only road closures around the Parliamentary precinct, but also gridlocked traffic due to the rains.
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Picture: Murray Swart