Briefing the media on the preparations for one of the biggest days on the calendar of Parliament and the country, Secretary to Parliament Mr Gengezi Mgidlana said: "We are hoping to host a successful event, it's all systems go and there won't be any glitches."
The theme for this year is "Celebrating 20 years of the Constitution and the National Council of Provinces", and the Secretary said all parliamentary events this year will be held under this theme.
"All events and work will be centred on celebrating 20 years of the Constitution, we are going to make sure that everything that we do we focus on this theme.
Mr Mgidlana dismissed reports that special security measures have been put in place and that the movement of journalists might be limited. "The idea of securitisation or increased security in Parliament for the coming State of the Nation Address, is false. Any event has to be held in an open and transparent manner but it must also be secured," he said.
He said the State of the Nation Address was not just an event for Parliament, but involved all arms of the state - the Legislature, the Executive and the Judiciary.
The State of the Nation Address provides a platform for the Head of State to reflect on the performance of government during the previous year and also outline new plans and programmes for the new year. It has also been a tradition by presidents to make ground-breaking announcements during this important joint sitting of Parliament.
The speech will be followed by a two-day debate by Members of Parliament before the President gets an opportunity to respond to the inputs by members of the different political parties represented in Parliament.
About 730 local and international journalists have been accredited to report on this year's State of the Nation Address.
By Sakhile Mokoena
2 February 2017
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