6 February 2009
Births, adulthood, death â all of these milestones get marked by ceremony
and ritual in all of our human culture, in one way or another.
The state also has rituals of reflection, and encouraging common goals that
cut across party political mores.
Today, President Kgalema Motlanthe delivers his state of the nation address
â an assessment, a report-card, of how government has performed since 2004.
The day is rich with symbolism and ceremony. It is the most important
ceremonial occasion on the South African political and parliamentary calendar,
the day when South Africans are invited also to reflect and assess how they can
come together to meet the challenges that face us.
The ceremony starts at the Slave Lodge, just outside the entrance to the
Parliamentary precinct and it is a combination of public participation and
formal state ceremony.
It is normally an annual ceremony of state at which the three arms of the
state â the executive, the judiciary and the legislature - play out their
constitutional roles in full view of the nation. Because this is an election
year, it will happen again later in the year.
With the dawn of democracy in 1994, parliament's doors opened to all South
African people. The occasion of the State of the Nation Address became a
celebration of our nation, with public participation adding to the State's
ceremonial activities.
There is a Junior Guard of Honour to line the procession route from the
entrance of Parliamentary precinct to the end of the National Council of
Provinces (NCOP) building. This Junior Guard of Honour comprises students from
schools that have represented South Africa or their province at international,
national, provincial or local level competitions in areas of sports, the arts,
cultural activities or any other competition that has helped to positively
profile the country, province or locality.
The Junior Guard of Honour comes mainly from the Western Cape and includes
learners from Masiphumelele Primary in Khayelitsha, St Paul's Primary in Cape
Town's city centre, Kuyasa Primary in Mitchell's Plain, Settlers High in Cape
Town's northern suburbs, Langeberg Secondary School in Robertson in the Cape
Winelands District and Erosskool for physically challenged young people in
Athlone on the Cape Flats. The Free State, Gauteng and Mpumalanga have sent
seven learners each. These are provinces that did not have an opportunity to
participate in the Junior Guard of Honour of the previous state of the nation
address. There are about 300 learners in this year's Junior Guard of
Honour.
A Civil Guard of Honour forms part of the procession route until the end of
the Old Assembly Wing. Participants are chosen to reflect aspects of
Parliament's annual theme. This year the theme is "Parliament entrenching
people-centred democracy in achieving development goals." There are about 100
Civil Guards of Honour from the Commission on Gender Equality, the Development
Action Group (focusing on land, housing and community development issues), the
Youth Commission, Disabled People of South Africa, Bonteheuwel Community Centre
(which is based on the Cape Flats and deals with employment creation, youth
development and adult education, the Saartjie Baartman Centre (which raises
awareness about violence against women and children), the Women on Farms
Project (which organises around gender education, advocacy, youth development
and socio-economic development among women living on farms), Doornbach People's
Housing and the Umsobomvu Youth Development Fund.
Eminent Persons also line the President's procession to the National
Assembly Chamber. These are people who have achieved outstanding results in a
particular field or have been recognised for their contribution to society.
This year they are Nondumiso Reinet Mantanga (Eastern Cape), Kitsa Ralegae
(Free State), Reverend SB Mzamo (Gauteng), Dr Farooq Meer (KwaZulu-Natal),
Ntuseni Jameson (Limpopo), Ester Mabuza (Mpumalanga), Sara Magdeline Coangae
(Northern Cape), Godfrey Motshwane (North West), Magretha Macdonald (Western
Cape).
Public participation includes nine Grade 10 to 12 learners â one from each
province. They are the winners of an essay competition organised by
Parliament's Communication Service and will be in the National Assembly Chamber
to listen to the President Motlanthe's address. The President's State of the
Nation Address will be transmitted directly by the public broadcaster,
broadcast by commercial broadcasters and 60 community radio stations and shown
on publicly on accessible big screens in all provinces.
The formal, state ceremony involves a Ceremonial Military Guard of Honour
and a military band â this year the South African Navy Band based in Simonstown
on Cape Town's False Bay coast. The state part of proceedings also involves a
21-gun salute and a South African Air Force flypast while the President takes
the national salute.
Some may feel the whole occasion is unnecessary, arguing: Let's look at the
bottom line. How many additional houses, schools, health care facilities and
other basic services could the money rather have been used for?
But like the births, marriages and deaths that we mark as private citizens,
spending modestly or magnificently depending on our means, we as a nation live
not only by bread but by roses too.
Issued by: Parliament of South Africa
6 February 2009
Source: Parliament of South Africa (http://www.parliament.gov.za)
