According to Moloto Mothapo, a spokeswoman for the parliament, expenses for 2023 Sona were increased to pay for items that had not yet been paid for.
Parliament gave an explanation for the over R10 million budget allocation for proceedings and ensuing debates hours before the State of the Nation Address (Sona).
Parliament spokesperson Moloto Mothapo said the budget for the Sona, which is R8 million, was a difficult choice since the government had no other option as he updated the media on final logistics.
“Because we were exempt from paying for the things we previously had to. We did not have to pay for things like broadcasting equipment, your live broadcasts to the nation’s different television stations in order to reach and immerse South Africans in the proceedings of Parliament.”
A packed crowd at the Sona, with hundreds of visitors including former president Thabo Mbeki, former speaker Baleka Mbete, and international netball world cup players, was what Parliament said it might anticipate.
Chief Justice Raymond Zondo and Deputy Chief Justice Mandisa Maya will be present with them. The Speaker of the Azerbaijani Parliament and ten international netball captains competing in the World Cup there later in 2023 are other notable foreign guests.
He clarified that Phumzile Mlambo Ngcuka, the former vice president, would no longer be going as originally planned.