State of the Nation Address 2015

The State of the Nation Address (SoNA), at the opening of parliament affects all South Africans. This year, President Jacob Zuma will deliver his seventh SoNA to Parliament on Thursday, 12 February 2015, at 19:00.

The president will address both houses of Parliament, the National Assembly and the National Council of Provinces, which represents the government of each province.

What is SoNA?

Delivered every year at the opening of Parliament, the speech is aimed at informing citizens about what government will be focusing on for the next year. The president will assess our country’s domestic and foreign situation and set out plans to improve the lives South Africans.

According to Statistics South Africa, over 650 000 jobs were created last year. Despite these developments, our country continues to face many challenges. These include poverty, inequality and unemployment.

This influenced the plan for 2014, which prioritised, education, health, the fight against crime and corruption, rural development and land reform and creating jobs.

What SoNA means to you

Building a better country involves everyone. During his address in 2014, President Zuma said, “we have to work together as government, business and labour to grow our economy at rates that are above 5% to be able to create the jobs we need”.

The State of the Nation Address is an opportunity for you to know what government has planned for the year and also an opportunity to get involved.

Public participation

Members of the public will be involved to encourage public participation. Here’s how:

• SoNA will be broadcast live to ensure that as many people as possible can be a part of the event. You can attend a live viewing, listen to it on radio, watch the event on television or stream live below.
• For detailed information, visit Parliament’s website  or join the conversation on Parliament’s Facebook and Twitter pages.
• South African citizens from across the country make up the civil and junior Guards of Honour during the procession, before President Zuma makes his address.
• The Junior Guard of Honour is drawn from schools around the country and represents the country's youth.

Road closures

Traffic in the Cape Town city centre will be affected on the day. Find out how the event might affect your traffic route.

Watch President Jacob Zuma's State of the Nation Address live