Durban - The State of the Nation address is upon us, what better time to take a look back at some of 2015's top five “SONA stars”.
undefinedSONA begins every year with nationwide coverage of members of Parliament and their partners, celebrities and those lucky enough to attend making their way down the red carpet.
Last year was no different; here are some of the high (and-not-so-high) lights:
1. SONA 2015's arguably biggest conundrum was the armed forces brought in by the Speaker of the house to remove the EFF. Many questions surrounding their identity were asked citing if they indeed were members of the SAPS, it be unconstitutional.
2. Then there was EFF leader and former ANCYL godfather, Julius Malema. He donned his classic red overalls and red hard hat. Stressing his Point of Privilege even after being told repeatedly to sit down and later to leave. His telling the Speaker of the house “I don't work for you” remains one of the stand-out moments of the night. He is SONA’s definite wildcard.
3. The DA filtered in wearing black and by the time they had all arrived, it was clear that this was a collective decision. After the ejection of the EFF, the DA questioned the move and walked out as a unit.
4. Who can forget EFF MP Godrich Gardee? He first interrupted President Zuma during the start of his address. He is most famous for the line addressing the “Pay Back The Money” issue where he asked if “EFT, cash or e-wallet” would be a suitable manner for the President paying back money as order by the Public Protector, thus sparking a long line of many memes.
5. Finally, Speaker of the House Baleka Mbete, who made her first appearance on the red carpet. Sadly, that might have been the happiest moment of the evening for her as the rest of the night was spent attempting to silence the house. She also faced lots of criticism after asking armed men to remove the EFF from the house. Her choice to introduce SAPS was widely criticised as it contravened the constitution of SA.
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