Cape Town - Photographers flocked to the entrance of the National Assembly where a statue of Walter and Albertina Sisulu made its debut on Thursday.
As workers slowly added the final touches to the busy parliamentary precinct ahead of President Jacob Zuma's State of the Nation Address (SONA), members of the media and others stood around the statue.
The bronze depicts the Sisulus holding hands and waving as they often did when pictured together.
Unlike the large bust of former president Nelson Mandela just metres away, which was crafted solely in bronze, the Sisulus are shown in colourful garb.
Workers started rolling out the red carpet before 4pm, ahead of the arrival of VIPs.
Zuma will arrive in Parliament Street after 6pm, following a cavalcade through the city's streets, which have been cordoned off by the police.
Traffic was at a standstill in many roads in the Cape Town CBD as vehicles were diverted away from the parliamentary precinct.
Sapa