Cape Town facing lockdown for President Cyril Ramaphosa's SONA 2020

President Cyril Ramaphosa. Picture: Elmond Jiyane/GCIS

President Cyril Ramaphosa. Picture: Elmond Jiyane/GCIS

Published Feb 11, 2020

Share

Parliament - Cape Town is facing a lockdown ahead of the State of the Nation Address on Thursday.

Parliament has announced on Tuesday that a number of roads around the CBD in Cape Town will be closed due to preparations and for the SONA.

There is tight security in the build-up and on the day of President Cyril Ramaphosa’s address until he finishes late in the evening.

Parliament has said there will be a partial shutdown of some of the streets on Tuesday with the complete lockdown to be in full operation on Wednesday afternoon.

Those who are coming in and out of the city are expected to face major restrictions with a number of roads closed.

The lockdown of the Cape Town CBD comes after Parliament indicated a few days ago that it will cut down on expenses for this year’s event.

Parliament has over the last few years been scaling down on costs for the SONA.

The gala dinner was normally held for members of Parliament and other guests but this has not been held in a number of years, due to cost-cutting measures.

Other activities for the SONA have also been removed from the programme to reduce costs.

Political Bureau

Related Topics: