SONA 2026: Ramaphosa’s Vision for South Africa

The Cape Town City Hall stage is set, the final preparations are underway and the parliamentary gears are turning with one moment in sight: President Cyril Ramaphosa stepping up to the podium to deliver the State of the Nation Address (SONA) tonight.

The agenda-setting address will be held from 7pm tonight.

The event is held in terms of Section 42(5) of the Constitution and is a Joint Sitting of both the National Council of Provinces and the National Assembly.

“The State of the Nation Address (SONA) is an annual overview delivered by the President to mobilise all sectors of society to secure ongoing development in the country.

“The Joint Sitting provides an opportunity for the President to reflect on progress made, highlight key achievements, flag challenges, and outline government’s policy direction and programme of action for the year ahead,” the Presidency said.

The President is expected to highlight government’s priorities for the upcoming year.

“During SONA 2026, President Ramaphosa will outline interventions for the coming financial year, deliberating on South Africa’s domestic priorities, as well as the country’s continental and international relations.

“The State of the Nation Address remains an important national milestone, reinforcing the strength and resilience of South Africa’s constitutional democratic system,” the Presidency said.

SONA will be held at the Cape Town’s City Hall which sits adjacent to the Grand Parade – the site where former President Nelson Mandela first appeared after spending some 27 years in prison.

Members of Parliament, former Presidents, former presiding officers, members of the judiciary, among others, have been invited to the address.

Briefing the media this week, Parliament Secretary, Xolile George, revealed that the budget for SONA 2026 stands at just over R7 million.

“Largely, it’s driven by cost of hiring equipment that covers all the broadcasting and all costs around ensuring that our ICT infrastructure is fit for purpose. Those are consistent drivers of the costs. The city hall is not costing us a lot of money. 

“Last year we budget R15.5 million and we spent R12.3 million. Equipment alone was R9.1 million. Last year we had the component of hiring the ICC… a lot of our guests were host at ICC. This year, we have a marquee and that cost driver is taken up by Public Works.

“We are aiming to significantly reduce the costs of hosting SONA,” George said.

A moment to account

In a media briefing yesterday, National Assembly Speaker Thoko Didiza explained that the SONA represents the formal opening of Parliament’s programme for the year.

“SONA…provides the anchor around which oversight, lawmaking, budget scrutiny and public participation are organised.

“It is the moment when the President accounts to the nation on progress made. He outlines priorities for the year and presents government’s programme of action. These commitments become the benchmark against which parliament measures executive performance…during the year,” Didiza explained.

Reflecting on the importance of the occasion, the speaker described SONA as more than a “ceremonial occasion”.

“It is a reaffirmation of the Parliamentary constitutional mandate to hold the executive to account, to legislate in the public interest, to facilitate meaningful public participation and to serve as platform for national dialogue.

“We want to assure South Africans that Parliament is operationally ready, institutionally focused and firmly committed to ensure that this State of the Nation Address sets the tone for a year of intensified oversight, responsive lawmaking and tangible delivery,” she said.

The SONA will be streamed live on the Presidency and Parliament social media channels, on television and on radio. – SAnews.gov.za