With South Africa officially celebrating 30 years of being a democratic country, the state has forked out a large sum of money to pull off a successful State of the Nation Address (SONA) ceremony.
The primary focus of this event is for the President to address the nation about the challenges they have faced during their tenure and to share their plans for improving the state of affairs in the current year and beyond. However, over the years, the occasion has shifted its focus towards more superficial aspects such as the red carpet and fashion choices, rather than the crucial message that the President has to offer.
Following the uninterrupted event which took place last night, many were shocked to find out that hosting the SONA 2024 has cost the government a whopping R6.5 million to pull off.
The news was first revealed by the parliament secretary Xolile George during a briefing on the state of readiness, ahead of Thursday’s SONA.
In his speech, he said: “Events of this magnitude and scale do require significant resources to be able to convene all the logistical infrastructure, knowing that Parliament is not operating inside the Parliament that we had. We have put aside an amount of about R6.5 million as a budget.
“These efforts are crucial in ensuring a smooth transition and passing the baton to the incoming Parliament.”
Meanwhile, social media users were unimpressed by this massive expenditure.
Taking to platforms like Facebook and X (formerly Twitter), many shared their disapproval.
One Facebook user wrote: “Total waste of money! They should be ashamed.” While another suggested that the President should instead declare his presidency as a disaster and resign instead.
A third user shared how unnecessary he felt the expenses were, highlighting that the only thing South African citizens were truly interested in was what the President had to say.
“How about they fix the potholes, and the President can livestream from his couch?”
The State of the Nation Address (SONA) is an important time for government to share plans, but using R6.5 million for it is worrying. Our country has money problems, so spending a lot on this event doesn’t seem right or caring. We need to look closely at how we use our money,…
— Blessings Ramoba (@BlessingsRamoba) February 8, 2024
While we all experience daily the many ANC failures, at #SONA the President trumpets their “achievements”. It is peak gaslighting, starring incompetent & corrupt ministers flaunting expensive outfits while millions are suffering. This is a desperate R6.5 million performance. https://t.co/TAVeucYHTs
— Ros Goldin (@RosG101) February 8, 2024
Also see: Tintswalo – fact or fiction? Ramaphosa’s ‘perfect story’ shared at SONA
