Zuma's SONA up for debate today
Political parties will debate President Jacob Zuma’s State of the Nation address today and tomorrow.
The president’s SONA was again marred by fisticuffs, swearing, heckling, and walkouts.
The EFF’s MPs would miss the debate, as they were automatically suspended for five working days following their violent ejection from the National Assembly on Thursday.
The DA’s MPs, who walked out before Zuma delivered his speech, said on Sunday that they would attend the debate.
ALSO READ: Opposition parties vow to fight on after disastrous SONA
The one-and-a-half-hour-long speech was “weak, uninspiring and racially divisive, devoid of any new ideas on how to free our young people from the shackles of joblessness and hopelessness,” the party said.
Cope would be participating as well, leader Mosiuoa Lekota said on Monday. The party said Zuma’s speech carried little weight and was just smoke and mirrors.
Zuma focused on economic transformation, university fees, land, and corruption.
ALSO READ: OPINION: The SONA address that was doomed from the start
He said his “caring” government would look into the prospect of raising the National Student Financial Aid Scheme threshold to above R122 000, in phases. Students from families earning below R600 000 a year would continue to have their tuition fee increases covered.
He called for arable land to be returned to blacks. It would be “difficult, if not impossible”, to achieve true reconciliation until the land question was resolved, he said.
Zuma would reply to the debate on Thursday.