National Assembly Speaker Thoko Didiza has encouraged South Africans to watch the Opening of Parliament Address (OPA) to hear how their vote will work for them in the coming five years of the seventh administration.
Didiza was speaking to SAnews on the side lines of the pre-OPA walkabout at the Parliamentary Precinct at the Cape Town City Hall - the site where President Cyril Ramaphosa will deliver his much anticipated address on Thursday.
The address is scheduled for 7pm.
"It is important to listen in so that we can hear how our vote is going to be used to fulfil the needs and aspirations that we have for the country. The people are waiting to hear from government and how it will serve them," she said.
OPA, the Speaker told SAnews will also set out how the parties that make up the Government of National Unity (GNU) are going to join forces to serve.
"After the vote, there was a Government of National Unity formed and people would want to know how that is going to work.
"That's what we will hear tomorrow. It is no longer a government led by one party but by a number of parties, so people will get to know how they are going to come together and what it is they say they will do for us going forward. The OPA gives us a picture of what it is we can expect from government over the next five years," she said.
Didiza said OPA will give South Africans a platform they can look back on in five years time in terms of what their government has done for them.
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The Speaker explained the difference between the State of the Nation Address and the Opening of Parliament.
"When a term of office starts following elections, the President requests that he come and address the Members of Parliament to tell them what the administration will be doing in the next five years.
"And then during [SONA], he comes to lay out the plans that the administration has for the coming year. He also reflects on what it is he has achieved over the previous year. Then after that, the Minister of Finance will explain how those plans will be financed...
"So at the start of an administration, the President paints a picture for the next five years," she said.
Earlier in the day during a media briefing, Didiza explained that, as is tradition, the South African National Defence Force will participate with a display of military pageantry.
This includes a performance by the military band, precision drills and a display showcasing the skills and traditions of the armed forces of the Republic.
"The official proceedings begin when the President of the Republic arrives. At the moment, the military choir will perform the national anthem, timed to coincide with the display of the 21-gun salute and an aircraft flyover and salute, highlighting the patriotic spirit of the event," Didiza said.
The Opening of Parliament Address is expected to commence at 7pm on Thursday, 18 July, the same day the country and the world commemorate Nelson Mandela International Day.
