Parliament on public participation at State of the Nation
Address

18 January 2006

Theme: All shall have equal rights

Public participation activities of the day will include a Civil Guard of
Honour made up of about 400 people drawn from various sectors of civil society,
including, public servants, farm workers, domestic workers, construction
workers and people with disabilities.

Close to 250 learners from various schools in the Western Cape will form a
Junior Guard of Honour. These will include, for the first time during the State
of the Nation Address, a school for the Deaf, Noluthando, and the following
schools:
* Masiphumelele High School – Fish Hoek
* Pinelands High School – Pinelands
* Princeton High School – Mitchell’s Plain
* Groenberg Secondary School – Grabouw
* Desmond Tutu High School – Mbekweni, Paarl
* Noluthando School for the Deaf – Somerset West

The Civil Guard of Honour will line Parliament Street on both sides.

The highlights of the entertainment, including music, dance and other
cultural activities are as follows:
* Performance by a group of 14 San women known as !Xun Women Dance Group from
the Northern Cape, on a stage outside the National Council of Provinces (NCOP)
building.
* Music and dance performance by two groups of XiTsonga traditional dancers
from Limpopo – Hlukuvani Magaza and Basani Malubane traditional dancers on a
stage outside the NCOP building.

* A music performance by a blind choir comprising students from the Athlone
School of the Blind on the stairs of the National Assembly (NA) while guests
are arriving.
* Performance by the military band just on the side, inside the NA building as
guests enter.
* A female XiTsonga Imbongi, who will welcome President Mbeki as he enters the
Chamber to address the Joint Sitting.

All normal activities and traditional processions, including the processions
of judges, premiers and provincial speakers will proceed according to standard
protocol and times as per the Parliamentary Order of Proceedings and Programme
for the day.

In total about 650 guests have been invited, with a large number comprising
members of the public. Key dignitaries that have been invited include, the
former South African Presidents, Nelson Mandela and F W De Klerk, former deputy
President Jacob Zuma and Archbishop Desmond Tutu as well as former Speaker, Dr
Frene Ginwala.

Others invited include members of the diplomatic corps, head of the United
Nations in South Africa, representatives of the New Partnership for Africa’s
Development (NEPAD) Secretariat, African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) Country
Support Mission and the Pan African Parliament (PAP) Bureau, as well as
representatives of business, trade union federations, academia, religious
fraternity, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and traditional leaders.

Various strategies have also been put in place to encourage massive public
viewing of the State of the Nation through big screens that will be erected in
public places such as taxi and bus ranks, train stations, as well as town and
city halls in all the nine provinces. In Cape Town, the public will be able to
view the proceedings via a big screen that will be erected at the City
Hall.

The speech of the President will be interpreted into other 10 official
languages.

For more details, contact:
Parliament’s Media Management Unit
Sivuyile Mbambato
Tel: (021) 403 8195
Cell: 083 923 1758
E-mail: Smbambato@parliament.gov.za
Mirriam Moswaane
Tel: (021) 403 8197
Cell: 083 364 2007
E-mail: mmoswaane@parliament.gov.za

Issued by: SA Parliament
18 January 2006