SONA brings together the three arms of State

The State of the Nation Address (SONA) is called in terms of Section 42(5) of the Constitution by the President of the Republic. It is a joint sitting of the two Houses of Parliament and one of the rare occasions that brings together the three arms of the State under one roof.

SONA provides the President with an opportunity to speak to the nation on the general state of South Africa, to reflect on a wide range of political, economic and social matters within the domestic and global contexts, to account to the nation on the work of Government and to set out Government’s programme of action. Traditionally, the President makes key government announcements during this important joint sitting of Parliament.

It is a ceremonial joint sitting of the two Houses of Parliament, called specifically for the President to deliver his SONA and no other business may be considered on this day.

SONA usually takes place during February and is presided over by the Speaker and/or the Chairperson of the Council, by arrangement between them. During the week following the SONA, a debate of approximately two days is held on the SONA. The President is then given an opportunity to reply to the debate on the third day and to close the debate.
The SONA is one of the major general debates of the parliamentary year.

The President delivers his SONA before Parliament because Parliament is charged with ensuring that the work flowing from this Address is implemented. Most importantly, SONA is delivered in Parliament because the priorities pronounced in it have budgetary implications demanding robust oversight – one of Parliament’s constitutional responsibilities.

Parliament may accept, reject or amend the allocation of budgets to government departments to ensure that these are in line with national priorities as outlined in the SONA. Parliament may also withhold budgets of departments whose annual performance plans are not in line with these priorities.

This practice of the President delivering a state of the nation address goes back to the pre-democratic era. One such address is that of the former president Mr F W de Klerk titled Address by the State President, Mr F W De Klerk, at the Opening of the Second Session of the Ninth Parliament of the Republic of South Africa, Cape Town, 2 February 1990.

During this address, the SONA occasion was used as a platform for announcement of the release of the founding President of the democratic SA, Mr Nelson Mandela, and other anti-apartheid political prisoners, by the last apartheid President, Mr. FW De Klerk.

The session is referred to as the State of the Nation Address to distinguish it from the opening address. This usually occurs at the start of a term of Parliament. In practice, the terms SONA and opening of parliament are used interchangeably.
In Botswana the SONA is called “the President’s Speech”; in India it is called “the President’s Address”; and in New South Wales in Australia it is called “the Governor’s Speech”.